


what’s left when you lose everything?

by FallenCiatokins



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Body Dysphoria, Body Worship, Danger Kink, F/M, Hegelbert Weekend (Fire Emblem), Hegemon Edelgard von Hresvelg, Human/Monster Romance, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Past Character Death, Post-Azure Moon, Post-Canon, Teratophilia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:29:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26037175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenCiatokins/pseuds/FallenCiatokins
Summary: Her eyes opened, but rather than the spectacular purple that had once shone in them, they were instead bright red, glowing with some sort of mystical energy. Hubert was taken aback, but Anders visibly flinched in fear.Was she even herself, anymore?Hubert tried to speak confidently, more confidently than he felt. “Lady Edelgard. How are you feeling?”Hubert and (Hegemon) Edelgard escape Enbarr at the end of Azure Moon and have to figure out what they have left to live for.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg & Hubert von Vestra, Edelgard von Hresvelg/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 53
Kudos: 62
Collections: FE3H Monsterfucking Weekend 2020





	1. After Their Dream Dissolved

**Author's Note:**

> This fic will have graphic descriptions of sex and monster kink / body worship / danger kink.
> 
> Also, any character bashing of a certain Faerghusian king is strictly in-character and does not reflect the opinions of the author. ;)
> 
> My twitter handle is @ciatokins!

The fools had not fully checked over his body before moving on. Hubert supposed he did not matter anymore, with the Imperial army defeated.

One of his men, a young man by the name of Anders, had saved him. Hubert had been injured and on the verge of death, but Anders was able to help Hubert survive. He was the Empire’s leading white magic user AND an expert medic, and had been vital in the war effort. Hubert, dizzied by the massive amount of magic that had been pulsed into him in such a short period, put his hand to his forehead and sat on the city street for a few minutes. As his thoughts became more coherent, his worry for Lady Edelgard increased. _Was she okay?_ As soon as he was well enough to walk, Hubert spoke. “Let us see if we can find Lady Edelgard.”

With his heart heavy and his stomach twisted in anxiety, the two men went to the throne room together, avoiding the patrols of the Kingdom army. He didn’t know what to expect: would she be alive or dead, and if alive, would she still be human? The wound in his chest ached fiercely, and Hubert suspected that the pain would be with him for a very long time, if not for the rest of his life... however long that was. But he could endure, if she survived. If not… well, he couldn’t bear to consider it.

They came across her body in the throne room. Her limbs were blackened, ending in sharp claws, and a pair of mangled wings sprouted from her back as she lay face-down on the ground. A thick pool of blood had spread from her all over the red-carpeted floor. As Hubert gently turned her over, he discovered a deep wound from a lance… no doubt wielded by _that man_. He braced himself for the worst. That wound looked like one that should kill her. But then, she had endured other things that would kill normal people. Those damn experiments, and the pain they had wrought upon her small body, they had given her resilience. At least they had been good for something. He clenched his teeth in anger.

Anger and guilt drifted into his mind before he chose to _concentrate_ on the present. If she was alive, he would need to act quickly.

He suspected she was in somewhat of a half-transformed state, somewhere between human and … whatever it was that she was now. Her hair, usually neatly put up in two buns to hold her crown, was now matted and wild, falling all over the place and matted with her blood. Anders looked at her with fear, but Hubert did not flinch. “Help me tend to her wounds, Anders.”

“W-what happened to … Her Majesty?” Anders asked, his voice trembling.

Hubert did not feel like answering that question, but instead directed him to find the spot where the wound was bleeding the most heavily. While Hubert removed her mostly ripped clothing, revealing more and more of her blackened skin, Anders healed her with white magic. From what they had learned of the transformed monsters, white magic worked on them as well as it did on humans. “Hopefully with the … transformations in her body, she will have been able to endure this wound.”

He could not really keep track of time, between the pain he was facing and his panicked attempts to mend his lady with his own weak, inadequate healing magic, but after Anders used his magic and Hubert feebly assisted, she began to stir. The lump in his throat, though not gone, loosened up at least a little bit. So she was at least alive for now.

Her eyes opened, but rather than the spectacular purple that had once shone in them, they were instead bright red, glowing with some sort of mystical energy. Hubert was taken aback, but Anders visibly flinched in fear. _Was she even herself, anymore?_ Hubert tried to speak confidently, more confidently than he felt. “Lady Edelgard. How are you feeling?”

“Hubert… I…” So she remembered him through her transformation. He breathed in a sigh of relief. “You’re alive… Hubert…” Her voice was weak, and not altogether familiar. She sounded… inhuman. With her claw-like hands she brushed against his face, the scales on the back of her fingers rough against his skin, already scraped from battle. He had to brush off his revulsion. He would never be repulsed by her, regardless of her body, but he was still angry about the horror that had been inflicted upon her.

“We should leave the city as soon as possible, my lady. They have occupied the city, and it’s only a matter of time before they discover us.” It made him sick to think that a man who represented the out-dated, archaic ways of the past would rule the people of Enbarr, those people for whose futures he and Lady Edelgard had fought for. All of their dreams of building a world that was free of the taint of the Church of Seiros, and that of the traditional, hereditary social structure, they had all crumbled into dust.

No, he could not fall into grief so easily. Lady Edelgard was alive and that was all that mattered for now. Was that not his priority? “Anders, continue to heal her to the best of your capabilities.”

He was just pleased that a man like Anders would still help them, at potential risk to his own well-being. After all, if the mighty Savior King and his regime found out what he had done, young Anders might not live to see another day. And yet, he was here.

“Hubert… you should escape with your life. I am… no longer human. You won’t be able to escape with me.” Her voice was gravelly still, but sounded stronger than before. He blinked back tears. How could she ask that of him now? The only thing he had left in his life was her. He would rather die by her side than escape alone.

“Lady Edelgard. We will escape together. We will find a way. No matter what it takes. My life only has meaning with you in it.” He turned to Anders. “What do you think? Do you think she’ll be okay?”

“I-I have no idea, Lord Vestra. I’ve never tried to heal… anyone like this before.”

Hubert simply nodded and hoped for the best. “Let’s find somewhere to hide her so we can disguise ourselves for escape. Thank you, Anders, for everything.”

-

It was the first day of the rest of their lives.

They had begun their excursion at night, trying to get as far away from Enbarr as possible. Hubert’s eyes began to sag with exhaustion as he continued to trudge through the marshy area they had entered an hour ago, the cuffs of his pants soggy with swamp water. While his memory was not perfect, he could imagine the map of Adrestia in his head as they moved, and he just hoped that he wasn’t getting everything wrong. He was having trouble thinking straight through his exhaustion. And bitter, crushing disappointment, to be perfectly frank. He had failed her; she had felt forced to go to these extremes to accomplish her goal, and it had still had not been enough. Was it the unjust, cruel goddess of the Church of Seiros, punishing them for opposing her?

It was almost unbearable to think about. At least they were alive. That was something he could take solace in.

They somehow were able to escape the city – Anders had contact with a surprisingly large number of loyalists that had stuck by them, despite their loss. Hubert had never realized the depth of Anders’ loyalty to the Empire until today – or yesterday, or whatever the worst day of Hubert’s life was called now. He hoped that the man would not be found out for the crime of helping the emperor and her shadow escape.

As for Edelgard, she was surprisingly strong physically, considering she had been stabbed in the heart by a lance not but a day ago, but mentally was another matter. She showed nothing of the unflappable focus and determined steps she had always taken, now seeming lost and tentative. It fell to Hubert to take the lead. They rarely spoke as they went, and Edelgard let him navigate while mutely following. The only exception was when they were attacked by monsters, at which point Edelgard sprung into battle form as easily as she always had. Watching her prey on her victims was fascinating; she was somewhere between human, wolf, and, well, demonic beast, he hated to admit. But he found a certain elegance and beauty in her art, the way she slinked toward her opponent before sinking her claws into their waiting flesh. And she wielded her tail with such deadly grace that Hubert would have sworn she had had it for decades rather than days.

He was used to towering over her in both their youth and adulthood. He had always tried to not make his greater height seem like a usurpation of authority, or an attempt to intimidate her (although he knew her well enough to know that she was not intimidated by him in the slightest). But now, when she drew herself up to her full height, it was she who was taller, and by a far greater margin than he had been all those years. For the first time since the accursed Battle of Enbarr, a small smile appeared on his lips. He found it amusing to be the small one, a feeling he had rarely had in his life. He had always been the tall and lanky one.

He had always tried to keep her safe from all of the terrors she might face, for all that he had failed to protect her from… this foul experimentation. But now, she was protecting him, the man with a fragile body more suited for magical arts than physical exertion, and certainly unsuited for roughing the wilderness. Right now, he didn’t feel as if he could survive much of anything, whereas she seemed more powerful than she had ever been. If she was not fully herself, she at least recognized him enough to not attack him and to follow him, which he appreciated. Maybe she just wasn’t feeling chatty. Neither was he, to be quite honest.

As the sun began to rise, Hubert spoke, breaking the silence between them. “Let’s find a spot to rest, Lady Edelgard.” She simply nodded at him. Hubert considered it a small mercy that it was the Adrestian summer. While it was reasonably hot during the daytime, at least there was no chance that they would freeze to death, as might be a concern during winter nights. Hubert elected to have them rest during the day, either in a hollow or a cave, and travel mostly at night. He didn’t want to encounter any villagers who might think she was a monster. That could end quite poorly. His stomach ached to even consider it.

Anders had thoughtfully supplied them with many things on their journey, including implements for starting a fire. Hubert built one to cook the animals Edelgard had killed. As he collected the firewood and built a neat pile, he prepared the flint, ready to strike.

But before he could, fire radiated from her hands, setting the wood ablaze. She looked at him with her red eyes, but he did not know how to read her expressions, not anymore. Her face had changed. He tried not to flinch as she looked him in the eyes, but he found it a bit unsettling.

She clearly noticed it. “Do you think I am… frightening?” She spoke with the same rough, inhuman voice, but she sounded unsure, uneasy. He wanted her to be herself again and to hear her brazenly confident voice again. He remembered her speaking in public, her hand curled around her waist as she projected more confidence than any other woman or man he had ever known. But this new Edelgard was still Edelgard, and he cared for her just the same.

He thought about her question and hesitated: he thought about her blackened body, her giant wings, her large physique, and the blinding speed with which she hunted her prey. Objectively, he should have been terrified, but he was not, perhaps due to his own macabre nature.

“Regardless of your appearance, you will always be Lady Edelgard. I do not fear you.” He forced a small smile at her; one that he hoped came off as genuine. He hoped that his meager words would assuage her fears. If they did not, she didn’t say so.

Without much else to say, he started cooking the things she had killed for them. It had been a while since he had been in the wilderness and cooking was not something he did often, but he did his best.They ate in silence. It was fine, but through his worry and anguish, he could barely taste anything.

He and Edelgard had never been particularly affectionate toward each other; both preferred their conversations to be direct and efficient, and both prioritized getting things done over small talk. But today, he was feeling a little emotional, he admitted. He found himself strangely compelled to hug her as she sat there, gangly and misshapen. She looked more than a little sad, or at least, that was his best guess. He certainly felt sad as he sat in the wilderness, far away from the only place he had ever called home, a home to which he would likely never return.

He knew that she was always reluctant to touch others, due to her experiences. He never wanted to push any of her boundaries, so the next words out of his mouth might have sounded silly, but he always wanted to ensure that she felt safe. “Would you like a hug, Lady Edelgard?”

She looked up at him and her face folded into what he hoped was a smile. As she put her arms out, she looked at them and seemed… alarmed. He grabbed one of her claw-like hands in both of his own, smaller hands and smiled back at her. “My lady. We are still alive. We have each other. That shall suffice, for now.”

They embraced. She smelled like blood and death, nothing like the imported perfume that she used to wear. Her scaly body was rough and uneven, a contrast to the soft skin that she used to have. He hoped she didn’t feel too much shame about that. He would have to reassure her that it was fine, that she was still Edelgard and that he cared for her regardless of her body.

Who knew what the future held for them?

Them?

In all of his years of serving Lady Edelgard, he had been, at times, teased about his devotion to her. “Do you loooooooove her, Hubie?” Dorothea had teased. A small place in his heart ached as he remembered that conversation, and remembered one of his men reporting her death during the Battle of Enbarr. That was… such a short time ago. Should he have looked for her too?

No, he could not get caught up in grief.

Edelgard had been beautiful, elegant, and charming, but his role was to serve her in any way he possibly could, not to court her or make her feel uncomfortable with unwanted advances. He had never spent much time thinking about frivolous romance himself, but…

“Do I not feel strange, when you hug me?” she asked him, her voice sounding a bit less sad and a bit more curious, and somehow he could hear a bit more of her old voice within it. Or maybe it was just his imagination.

He forced another smile. “Lady Edelgard.”

“Please, Hubert, just call me Edelgard. I am no longer the emperor of Adrestia. No longer Lady of anything.” She let out a long sigh. “You no longer have a duty to serve me, and with my body this way, you will never be able to live a normal life. You don’t have to stay with me. You deserve to have a normal life.” While he was still unsure about what emotions her new tones of voice conveyed, this one certainly sounded resigned.

He hugged her even more tightly. A small tear rolled down his cheek as the gravity of her situation set in. She felt like she was a burden to him, but he had never felt burdened by her, not a single day in his life. He usually wasn’t one for sentiment, but he could allow himself a little, just today.

“No. You are the only thing I have left in the world. I don’t need anything more. I never served you out of obligation; I served you because I believed in what you believed in. I believed that we could make the world a better place.” She had transformed her body for what they believed in. He disapproved; surely there were better ways to accomplish their goal, but she had won that argument. Edelgard was so damn stubborn when she set her mind to something.

And what was done was done. She chose this path, and he would follow it.

“Thank you, Hubert.” Her voice was more confident. “What should we do now?” Maybe she had taken him at his word after all. He was just relieved that she seemed more like her old self. He no longer doubted her lucidity; he just hoped she would not drown herself in grief. But he would try his best to help her with that, although he had never been particularly adept at cheering people up.

Hubert rubbed his eyes, weary. He had no idea how long it had been since he had last slept. “Honestly? I could use some sleep. I’ve been running on adrenaline for an indeterminate length of time.”

She made the face again that Hubert thought was a smile. “That seems like a wise choice. “ And they lay down, separately, in the most comfortable place they could find.

\--

_He was being hunted and he was running out of places to hide._

_He saw her red eyes glow viciously in the dark, and he was very aware that he was not going to win. He could not climb trees and he sure as hell couldn’t outrun her. So he just allowed her to win, submitting to whatever she had planned for him. What else could he do?_

_She wrapped her tail around his torso, the rough, lizard like texture rubbing against his skin as she slowly wrapped all the way around. Her claws dug into his skin, slowly clawing at him as she moved upward from his stomach to his chest. He thought it would be painful, but instead he felt hot pleasure run through him as he watched his blood run down his chest. He wanted her raptor-like claws to wrap around his throat, bringing him within inches of death. Damn, she was beautiful, her long white hair cascading onto his chest, brushing against his chest hair as she ripped his shirt open. Her red eyes pierced through him, an irresistible mix of danger and passion in her gaze. The firelight flickered as her claws inched closer and closer to his throat, his heart pounding out of control._

_“I-is there anything you want from me, my Lady?” His voice betrayed his own excitement, his eagerness to please her. He could barely think as pleasure shot through his body, his only desire to please the woman whose talons were dangerously close to his jugular, whose tail could crush him in an instant if she so desired. He couldn’t move his arms but he yearned so desperately to..._

As soon as he awoke, he felt a pang of guilt shoot through him; he was sweaty everywhere and his penis was hard. He looked around to see that Edelgard was sleeping and not in fact bringing him to the verge of death, so he closed his eyes and tried to recapture his fantasy from the dream, slowly pleasuring himself as he tried not to yell out.

Anders had tried to at least find Edelgard some loose-fitting garb so she wouldn’t be completely exposed, which offered her more dignity even with her size and form. But at this moment Hubert wondered… would she still have all of the parts she always had? He had never really thought about these things too closely, always too busy with his work to be caught up in frivolous indulgences, but now, with his dream fresh in his mind, he was morbidly curious about what the effect the transformation might have had on what lay between her legs.

He tried to recreate the dream and what would have happened after. He envisioned himself going down on her. A small voice in the back of his head wondered if she could feel pleasure anymore, but he silenced it. In his imagination, he went down on her, navigating her large, bestial body to find her vagina. As her enormous thighs wrapped around his head, squeezing him roughly, his tongue lurched to find her pleasure spot. He had learned about the anatomy of women in his studies back in the Empire, but hers was larger than more cavernous due to her transformation.

He had never done this before even in fantasy, but he tried his best to envision what it would be like. He tried to imagine what it would feel like to have his tongue inside of her, the orifice a mixture of soft and scaly. This Edelgard screamed out in pleasure as he found the spot and he himself, in the real world, felt semen gushing from his penis as his other hand gripped into his thigh.

Once he finished, he felt… ashamed? Satisfied? A mixture of both?

He should probably wash his pants, he reasoned. And think upon these new, complicated feelings.


	2. Warm to the Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > She looked at the sunset. It had been so long since she had had time to do such a thing. Even through her sorrow, she tried to enjoy it. She sat up to watch it, trying to find a position to sit where her tail was not in the way. She just gazed over the horizon for a few moments until the last of the sun’s rays disappeared from view.
> 
> Edelgard struggles to come to terms with all that has happened as she and Hubert make their way through the wilderness together. Their journey makes her reconsider her feelings about Hubert.
> 
> CW: (several) past character deaths, brief mention of suicide ideation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts out pretty sad, but I think it ends up in a happier place~ I ended up deciding to write both point of views because I thought getting into both of their heads would be interesting! So I hope you enjoy Hegelgard! :)

Her heart was shattered into a thousand pieces.

She had been willing to face death to achieve her goals. She had been willing to transform into this hideous, monstrous form to achieve her objective. She had given the fight and the war everything that she had. And it had not been enough. And now she was here, still alive, monstrous -and- defeated.

What was left for her, as a hideous monster, clinging to a sad, unfulfilling life? She lay on her back, watching the birds fly above her. She rubbed her left palm on the grass below her, feeling dew against her new skin. At least she still had that tactile feeling of the soft grass. The exoskeleton that had covered her legs was now gone, leaving her black legs exposed, and the scythe-like appendages had mercifully vanished from her back as well. But her arms were still covered in scales, as was her torso. She couldn’t see her face, but she knew it would likely be the same.

Everything was gone. Her siblings, mutilated and killed to make her powerful. Her father, helpless to stop them, now dead. Her country that she had wanted to lead to a new dawn, conquered and occupied. She had chosen to fight when the odds were stacked against her, and she had chosen to die in the face of mercy. Her body had gone from human to monster to this new form, somewhere between human and monster, but mostly monster. She had resigned herself to death, but Hubert… Hubert had brought her back to life. Damn him. Why had he not just let her die in peace?

For most of her life, she assumed that Hubert did his duties because, as the heir to the Minister of the Imperial Household, his job was to serve the imperial family. But as she remembered the day, two months ago _–_ it felt like it had been years – when he had been absolutely adamant that she not go through with this plan to transform herself. The memory of his angry and desperate pleas haunted her as she lay there, alone, staring at the setting sun.

Although she cared for Hubert, she had often felt constrained by his expectations of her. While she had been the one to initially approach him with her plans, he had always been the stickler for seeing the plans through, at the expense of any sense of normalcy in either of their lives. During the war she had always felt lonely, but he seemed rarely concerned with her mental state, so she had assumed that he was helping her out of obligation, not personal concern for her.

He had always been so damn secretive too. Any time she asked him to let her in, he had pushed her away, always sealing his feelings deep within himself. He never trusted her (or anyone else, as far as she knew) with his deepest secrets, always staying at arm’s length from her even as she pried. Such a frustrating man.

And yet, here he was, despite everything. Perhaps she had misunderstood him. She looked over to where he had been sleeping, but he was gone, blanket and all. Had he left her behind in the night? No, no, that didn’t make sense, she assured herself. Why would he have escaped the castle with her, ran all night, and THEN abandoned her? It wasn’t logical, and Hubert was never someone who did things that were not _logical._

She glanced around one more time for him. When she didn’t see him, she began to cry. At first, softly, and then, as tears rolled down her face, she began to sob. As she brought her hands to her face, she remembered that they were claws. Giant, ugly, black claws, unsuited for wiping away her tears. Seeing them made her cry even more. She had refused to let herself cry for so long, had gritted her teeth as the world destroyed her, but what was there left to lose?

She had failed. Failed her siblings. Failed her father. Failed her country. Failed her friends, who died for her cause. Ferdinand. Dorothea. Petra. Randolph. Ladislava. Lorenz. So many people had died for what she believed in, what they believed in. And it was over.

Randolph had died attacking the monastery after the Church-aligned Kingdom army had re-occupied it. She had heard afterwards that the one-eyed demon, who she now knew was Dimitri, had tortured Randolph to death. She remembered Dimitri’s violent anger the day they had ransacked the Holy Tomb, her last day of school in the academy. She was terrified that such a man was to be the next ruler of the entire continent. It exhausted her just to even think about.

Ferdinand, Ladislava, and Lorenz had died defending the Bridge of Myrrdin, a key strategic location on Adrestia’s border. She remembered how shocked she was when she got the news. She and Hubert had stood in the imperial office together in silence, unable to fully process the scale of that loss. Ferdinand had stomached the loss of his territory with greater grace and resolve than she could have ever imagined, and she had begun to trust and admire him, and even consider him a friend. And he was dead.

Dorothea and Petra had both died defending Enbarr. The day before the assault on Enbarr, she had asked Petra if she wanted to go home, but Petra said that she feared what the Church controlling Fodlan would do to relations with Brigid, so she had chosen to fight with them until the end. It made her numb to consider each of their sacrifices, all ultimately in vain. The Church would likely rule Fodlan forever, leaving them in an age of darkness.

Her body was… grotesque, a twisted mess of scales and feathers. Although she was not as large as she had been when she faced the Kingdom army in battle, she still felt gangly and uncoordinated, as if this body she now manipulated was not truly hers. In her estimation, she was a bit less than twice as tall than she had been as a human, which she was still getting used to. At least she was starting to find the tail an asset for both balance and hunting.

Hunting. At least she was useful for something. She remembered the day before, looking at Hubert, seeking his approval. Even in her state, she wanted to be useful to him. He could have just left the capital alone, gone to some village under an anonymous name, and just lived out his life as a commoner. But instead he was with her, out in the middle of the wilderness, sleeping in the rough. She killed animals and brought them to him, like a puppy trying to please its owner. It was pathetic. Hubert probably thought she was quite ridiculous.

She looked at the sunset. It had been so long since she had had time to do such a thing. Even through her sorrow, she tried to enjoy it. She sat up to watch it, trying to find a position to sit where her tail was not in the way. She just gazed over the horizon for a few moments until the last of the sun’s rays disappeared from view.

As the spell of the sunset broke, she wondered where Hubert was. She knew that there was a place to wash nearby, so maybe he was there, she reasoned. Her hair was presumably disgusting. Somehow, it had actually survived the transformation. She had always taken good care of her hair and was proud of it, but now it was in disarray, just like everything else. As the light began to fade, she was suddenly thankful that she could see in the dark, one of the perks of her transformation.

So she walked to the stream they had passed shortly before making camp. She spotted his clothing hanging on a tree, still wet from washing, and then Hubert himself, wrapped up in his blanket. He was levitating a small globe of light above his hand, his back leaned against a tree. She didn’t want to sneak up on him, so she called out “Hubert!” She paused, still shocked by her voice, which sounded so alien to her. “I’m just here to wash my hair. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Go ahead. I am just letting my clothes dry. In hindsight, I really should have brought an extra pair, but I suppose I wasn’t as prepared as I thought.” He looked at her with his crooked smile. She was glad to see it, even if it looked forced.

She knelt by the stream, and lowered her hair and head into the water. But as she tried to run her fingers through it, she clumsily ran her claws into each other. _This might be difficult, actually._ And the damn things kept getting caught in her hair and she couldn’t get them out and it was so annoying! Even though she was struggling, she didn’t want to depend on Hubert for help because she already felt so damn useless.

After a few minutes of struggling, she heard Hubert’s voice. “Do you need my assistance, Lady Edelgard?” _Didn’t I already tell him to stop calling me that?_ she thought irritably. For a split second she thought about lying to him and telling him that she didn’t need his help, but she instead sighed.

“It’s going to take some time to get used to this new body, I suppose. I think my claws are stuck in my hair.” Her voice still sounded so unfamiliar. It would take a long time to get used to having a different voice.

He said nothing in response, but knelt beside her and began gently removing the hair that was snagged in her claws. After he finished that task, he beckoned for her to lower her hair into the water and he began to wash it. He ran his fingers through her hair and began to massage her scalp with his hands. His normal, human hands. She decided to look at the stars reflected in the stream instead of thinking about her awful claws and how much she hated them.

He was better at this than she expected. The rhythmic movement of his hands against her scalp was relaxing, and she felt a bit less tense as she kneeled there, having him tend to her. She couldn’t see his face, but she felt calmer knowing that he was there to help her. She just hoped that she could be helpful to him too.

Without warning, she started tearing up again. She had never been a huge crier, not since surviving those awful days below Enbarr Palace, but the despair and exhaustion had caught up to her. Because Hubert had let go of his light incantation to wash her hair, he wouldn’t be able to see the tears quietly rolling down her face. So as he worked, she thought about how everything had gone wrong in the last few months, ever since the Battle of Gronder had been a failure. She had had some time to prepare for the Kingdom army’s arrival, but she had not expected a solidified Alliance-Kingdom-Church front. That had been her downfall.

All of a sudden, she felt something on her forehead and she realized he was… kissing her. Just a peck, of course. She remembered the last time he had done that; It had been right after she had returned from Fhirdhad, and right before… _that_ had happened. Back then, he was thoroughly embarrassed and apologized profusely for making her uncomfortable, even though she had thought it was sweet. It was one of the few memories she had from that time in her life. He had never been very affectionate, especially not as he had aged, becoming ever more reserved and secretive. She liked this softer side of him, the softer side that he rarely showed as the Minister of the Imperial Household. He had hardened himself for their bloody path, perhaps too much.

She felt the linger of his lips on her forehead. She thought it would be nice if he would do that again, but he was probably just doing it out of pity. She was frustrated at his pity; she had never desired pity in her entire life, and she certainly wasn’t going to start now.

“Hubert, what do you want to do now? We said we’d travel by night, but where to? What is our goal?” She knew that Hubert had already figured out where they were travelling, but in her panic, she hadn’t yet thought to ask him herself. She felt uncomfortable, being ignorant of their situation.

“Well, my idea was that we could travel through the former Aegir, Bergliez, and Hrym territories to get to the former Alliance. Once we arrived there, we could head for Almyra. We could consider a boat to Morfis, but it might be difficult to find one that would take us, especially with your… size.” He was somehow still unflappable. This trait of his had always been an anchor for her. He had been there for her through everything, had been her advisor and confidant throughout the stressful monastery year, and had stayed by her side through the war even as it was becoming apparent that they would likely lose.

She spoke in as soft a voice as she could manage. “And what will we do once we are there? Should we stay in the mountains, away from civilization?” She pondered on the pointlessness of this. Were they just going to live the rest of their lives as a pair of timid hermits?

“We can think upon that once we are there. No need to decide now.” _Fair enough._ “For today, I think we should travel as far as we can before the sun rises again. There are some uninhabited hills in the center of Hresvelg territory where we can camp for the day, if we move quickly.” His tone of voice was steady, a contrast to the turmoil she felt.

“That sounds good. Then shall we start moving?” She realized that his clothing was still hanging from the tree. It was peculiar that he had decided to wash his clothing after waking up instead of before going to bed, but they were both exhausted when they had made camp, so he had probably just forgotten. “I can help you dry your clothes, if it will help us move out faster.”

“That is a good idea, La- Edelgard.” As he got up, she saw that he was wearing his black coat, which seemed ridiculous considering his lack of clothes otherwise. Was he being modest? That was not very logical, and she was certain he would chide her for doing the same. If she was in a better mood, she might have teased him about it. What secrets did they have left to hide from each other?

After some quick magic from the Crest of Flames, she was able to dry his clothing (without setting it on fire!). They returned to camp, packed up, and started moving, with Edelgard’s night vision and Hubert’s incantation to guide them.

\--

The second and third nights of travel went unremarkably. Hunting was one of the few things that came naturally to her in this new body, and as she grew more adept at wielding her tail, her prey became easier to capture. Each day she killed a deer, and Hubert cooked it. She recalled reading a report about the overpopulation of deer in the eastern Empire. She never would have guessed that this knowledge would be so personally useful. 

Hubert often stopped and watched her hunt animals. He had always been fascinated by death, so she was not fully surprised that he was interested in her technique, but she did feel a bit… shy about being watched. She could tell there was something off about his behaviour. He was pretty good at guarding his feelings and moods, but he seemed even more reserved than normal. She wasn’t certain what to ask him, and he didn’t offer anything beyond very basic conversation, so she didn’t pry. 

But as they began to travel on the fourth night, over an open plain, a thick fog descended upon them, and it became unbearably humid. She found it hard to breathe in the thick, wet air, and Hubert was clearly struggling to navigate through it. She had silently followed him for hours, but she was starting to worry about him. 

“Perhaps we should take a break, Hubert. Maybe we should look at the map again.” He nodded in response and they found a place to sit. In the fog-filled darkness, he looked disheveled. One of his hands held his forehead as his eyes ran over the map. 

“I think … we are going northeast.” He looked at her, his eyes hazy. He was not doing well. Who could blame him? After all, he was an aristocrat whose work over the last five years had been at a desk more often than not. “Here’s where we are headed. Once the fog lets up, we should be able to tell our location from the sun and the moon’s positions.” 

“Maybe we should take a break for a while. You don’t seem well.” Even as she said it, she realized that she might as well have appealed to a stone. Stubborn man. He had always overworked himself. 

“We need to get to a location where we can hide safely before dawn. These plains will not do, but Harburg Hills should be just a few hours away. And that means we need to keep moving.” He spoke more confidently and more precisely than before. 

_She knew it!_ He would work himself to death if she did not prevent it, but he was right. Why did he have to be right? If they were here during the day, they would be found. It was an open plain. She was a grotesque monster. So she acquiesced to his proposal, even though she had a feeling that he was struggling to keep the pace. 

After about two or three more hours of travel, all in silence, she heard a thud and she saw that Hubert’s incantation had disappeared. Fuck. She was so glad she was able to see in the dark, so she could find him easily. She found him, collapsed on the grass. Why couldn’t he have just been honest with her and told her he needed a damn break? 

She tried to pick him up delicately, using the palms of her hands rather than her clawed fingers to do the heavy lifting. She was trying to be gentle, but it was hard when her hands were so… dangerous. She had no idea where they were, so once she had secured him in her arms and loaded up his pack over her shoulder, she tried to find somewhere for them to camp. While they did not reach the caves, she found a location that was both lightly forested and, as far as she could tell, not close to any farms. She laid him down as gently as she could. Using her palm, she listened for his heartbeat, which seemed normal to her untrained assessment. 

This was not going to work. If he was this tired after four days, there was no way they would be able to travel all the way to Fodlan’s Throat, let alone brave its perilous mountains. This whole plan was ridiculous. Why was he even bothering with this?

Why was she so annoyed with him? He had done everything in his power to make her life better, from her childhood to today, and she was just frustrated with him. 

_Because you wanted to die on your own terms._

But how could she blame him for caring about her so much? He had risked his life to save her from certain death, and accepted a life as a fugitive, babysitting a monster. How could she find fault in that devotion? 

She looked at his greasy, unwashed hair and rubbed her palm across it. She rubbed the scaly backs of her hands across his sleeping face, realizing just how hard he had been working to care for her, and she had only been upset with him. Tears began rolling down her cheeks again – it had been such an emotional week for her – but this time it was not self-pity. She cried because she was grateful that she had such a good friend, unwavering and relentless. She had felt, at various times throughout her life, overwhelmed by his expectations. _Expectations that you placed on yourself, Edelgard. He pushed you because he wanted you to fulfill your goals!_

She remembered how he had washed her hair a few days back, without any questions or judgments about her body. How he had told her that his life only had meaning with her in it. How he didn’t seem to care a whit about the way she looked, his affection and respect for her seemingly unchanged by her transformation. After all she had done, she didn’t deserve someone who was so kind to her. He had run himself into the ground trying to help her, and she begrudged him? 

Since she had steeled her resolve and decided to try to overthrow the Church of Seiros, she had pushed her feelings to the side, out of the way. Attachment was difficult to deal with when her fear of losing loved ones was so strong, especially with the knowledge that their death would be her fault. 

But what about now?

_You’re a monster, Edelgard. Unlovable._

She continued to brush his face with the back of her hand, trying to avoid hurting him. It was nice because she could actually feel his face, unlike when she touched things with her claws. She felt his cheekbones, bony and gaunt, as her hand drifted lower and lower to his nose, lips, and chin.

She had always treasured the uncommon times when she and Hubert had been able to just act like normal people. She remembered the two of them picking flowers together in the imperial garden, the year before they went to Garreg Mach. She remembered rambling to him about how beautiful they were and how she might arrange them in her bedroom. Another time, they attended the Mittelfrank Opera, back when Dorothea had been its star. She couldn’t remember the details of that opera any more, but she remembered gushing to Hubert about the plot and the beautiful costuming and singing. She realized that the things they did together had always been chosen to make _her_ happy. She had always tried to figure out what made him happy, but he had always deflected her comments. He would say that serving her was the greatest pleasure in his life.

She was starting to get tired. She curled up next to his unconscious body and put her arm around him, drifting slowly to sleep as she thought about the flowers and the opera.

\--

“Lady Edelgard.” Her eyes slowly came into focus as she woke up, not feeling fully rested. “Edelgard!” The voice had a hint of panic. She looked up at Hubert’s face, alarm painted on it. As the surroundings came into focus as well, she realized that she had fallen asleep with her head on his chest, her shoulder digging into his side. Embarrassed, she moved quickly to sit up. She felt her cheeks flush. Could her cheeks flush? Would he be able to notice? He looked over at her with his pale green eyes, and then he chuckled. “You’re a bit heavier than you used to be.” She looked down at him, and made an attempt at crossing her arms. “I mean… I do not mean to insult you, Lady Edelgard. I was just unable to get up on my own.”

The comment stinging her just a bit, she retorted with “Hubert, you sure know how to charm a lady.” Then the ridiculousness of the situation dawned on her, and she grinned at him.

“Just a statement of fact. I apologize if I hurt your feelings.” He rose to his feet and gave her a small bow.

“Come on, Hubert, I was just teasing you.” She shook her head a little, suddenly bashful.

“Then I’m glad you are feeling well enough to tease me again.” He smiled back at her.

“You should be grateful. In your stupidity, you decided to push yourself so hard that you fainted. I’ve always told you that you overwork yourself.” She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. “But don’t worry, I was able to sweep you up off your feet and rescue you, as if you were a princess in a fairy tale.” _Oh no. Did that come off as flirtatious?_ A girlish, flirty monster. She would laugh at it if it wasn’t so embarrassing.

Wait, was she trying to flirt with him?

He raised his eyebrows in response. “A princess in a fairy tale, you say?” His voice was dripping with sarcasm, but she could tell he was trying to fight off a smile. “I’ve been described in many ways before, but I suspect that is a first.”

“Well, you don’t make it easy to be rescued.” Okay, she needed to steer away from this conversation before her cheeks caught fire. She sighed, her mind scrambling for a way to change the subject. “Hubert, I think we need to change plans. I don’t think we should go to Almyra. I am tired, you are tired, and we have no plan for crossing Fodlan’s Throat. Could we find somewhere around here to live? Maybe in the forested area? Could we maybe… build a house out in the forest?”

He cocked his head at her, looking a bit surprised. “Lady Edelgard, do you know _anything_ about building a house? Because I haven’t the slightest clue.”

“Hubert, we have nothing but time. We can experiment. We can learn.” At least it would be something to work towards, a new goal, even if it was mundane. “Maybe you can visit a town and find some books on house-building? Do we have any money?”

“Yes, I brought some money with me, but I’m not sure how much it will get us.” She wouldn’t know either. They were nobility, after all; most of their shopping had been done for them. “There’s a large forest nearby. Maybe we can find a camping spot in a particularly wooded area and begin planning, if this is what you wish to do. We just need to avoid people.”

She looked him in the eyes. Unlike before, when he had flinched at her gaze, he met her eyes and simply smiled. She felt the weight of their difficulties diminishing, seeing that smile. “Hubert. We’re in this together. Thank you for staying at my side.” She reached out her hands and opened them palms upward, inviting him to put his own hands with hers.

He obliged, placing his hands over Edelgard’s own; his were so small and pale, a contrast to hers. “Lady Edelgard. I told you that I would always walk with you. I was willing to spill blood for you. I was willing to die for you. I will continue to follow your path, wherever it leads.” His gaze held her with such intensity that she was at a loss for words.

She did not deserve this man, so caring and committed to her. And yet, here he was. His support gave her the strength to carry on.

Finally, she found the simple words to express her feelings. “Thank you, Hubert. I’m so glad you are with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to shrikesthorn for helping me with some of the wording and my lovely husband for editing!


	3. New Interactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> >   
> Had she been lonely? Did she need someone to comfort her? He had never been good at such things. Cold, logical analysis had always been his forte, and he always gave Lady Edelgard advice whenever he deemed it fit, even if it was unpleasant. But he had never been able to offer much in the way of emotional support, even though he had always noticed her sadness. He always held anger about the horrible things she had suffered, but he had felt clumsy and helpless when he tried to comfort her, so he had quickly stopped trying. It was his great failure as her retainer
> 
> Hubert goes into town to gather supplies after he and Edelgard decided to settle down rather than travelling to Almyra. Hubert struggles to cope with his new complex feelings toward Edelgard. He also reflects on his new place in the world, without being driven by grand ambitions. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Mention of past character death, some sexual fantasies
> 
> Note: The peasant farmer characters are based on my experiences growing up in rural Oklahoma. Even if Adrestia is modelled more after Europe than anything else, I decided to draw on my personal experience living in a small farming community to write the characters rather than going for an authentic European feel.

Hubert sat, leaning against a tree in the forest, the day after they had decided on their new plan. He looked at Edelgard from the corner of his eye; she seemed more chipper than she had been in recent days. Hubert, on the other hand, was not really enjoying his adventure. His head hurt, his sides ached, and he did not like sleeping in the wild. His attempt to shave was a disaster; his face was cut and the shave uneven. He hadn’t had a single cup of coffee since the morning before the battle. And, ugh, he didn’t want to think anymore.

He had done many things in his life as the Minister of the Imperial Household. Espionage, assassination, blackmail, and even mundane things like financial transactions and meetings with officials were all part of his job. He was not ignorant of the value of money, per se, but he was not confident in his ability to interact with commoners. But he supposed that he was the only one of them who could.

“I don’t think it’s worth overanalyzing, Hubert. I know it’s something you don’t have a lot of experience with, but you seem to be taking it a bit too far. You’ll do fine.” As she spoke, she held her hand a little in front of her chin, her claws drooping down near her shoulder. It was a gesture that Hubert was quite used to seeing from her, but she looked a bit peculiar doing it in her new form. But he was starting to find all of her movements, as they manifested from her new form, quite endearing.

As sullen as he was about her gentle ribbing, he was also glad that she was feeling well enough to chide him instead of falling into sorrow. Her mental state seemed to have improved over the last few days, which was fantastic to see. The first day, she was inconsolable. But now, while she was not back to her old self (he wasn’t certain if they would ever truly be ‘themselves’ again), she was at least trying.

“I am just concerned about blending in without people knowing my identity. The last thing I want is for us to be caught and executed.” He looked down at his clothing, which was becoming increasingly tattered and worn. He needed to find some new clothing, but he wasn’t sure if any of the small farming towns nearby would have anything for sale. He honestly wasn’t sure how common people acquired clothing in farm villages. His formal education had never taught him these details, but now they were the details he desperately wished to know.

“Hubert. You were my spymaster, and you always tried to avoid public appearances. Do you think people will recognize you by your face? You’re worrying about this too much. Just go into the town and try to find us supplies.” Her face cracked into what he had decided was a smile as she jutted out her clawed hands flippantly. “I can’t go with you to hold your hand, unless you want us to get run out of town in ten seconds. So this is something you are just going to have to deal with yourself.”

From the tone in her voice, he thought she was getting impatient with him, and honestly, he couldn’t blame her. He was being unusually indecisive, unusually weak. He was far out of his comfort zone, which was frustrating as someone who enjoyed meticulous planning.

“Fine, fine, I’ll head there tomorrow morning,” he said, sounding a bit defeated. They had primarily travelled during the evening, but tomorrow, he would venture out in the daytime. From their collective knowledge of Adrestia and his mapping skills, they had found the locations of a few nearby towns.

But for now, he would try to sleep under the canopy of the forest.

\--

The next morning, Hubert set out to find the nearest village – alone, without Edelgard’s company.

As he walked, he began to recount everything that had happened over the past few days.

Had he really kissed her? For over a decade, he had carefully smothered any beginnings of romantic feelings that he might have had for Edelgard. He never even considered them; he swatted them down like flies. In his role as the Minister of the Imperial Household, he had served her faithfully, without any need or desire for reciprocated romantic feelings. But in his exhaustion, with the feel of her hair flowing through his hands, he had given into a moment of weakness and kissed her. It was utterly shameful.

He had become enraptured with watching her hunt animals. For most of his life, he had always enjoyed things that other people would find peculiar. Poison, blood, dark humor. It wasn’t as if he were ashamed of these things, but this new fascination had gripped him harder than he expected. Though the dreams had not returned, he had struggled to fully control his own emotions. He felt more alive when he watched her hunt than he had any other time during this haze of the last few days.

He was frazzled. He felt betrayed by his own uncontrollable feelings, allowing these traitorous thoughts to enter his mind so freely. At this time, when he needed to be strong, with great resolve, he was falling victim to his exhaustion and weakness.

He had fainted while they were navigating. It could have cost them their lives, but fortunately Edelgard had been able to retrieve him and found a place to camp that was out of sight. When he awoke, she was laying on his stomach. In his fear and panic of being trapped, he yelled out. After that, she had seemed so disappointed, crossing her arms at him and giving him a hurt look.

Had she been lonely? Did she need someone to comfort her? He had never been good at such things. Cold, logical analysis had always been his forte, and he always gave Lady Edelgard advice whenever he deemed it fit, even if it was unpleasant. But he had never been able to offer much in the way of emotional support, even though he had always noticed her sadness. He always held anger about the horrible things she had suffered, but he had felt clumsy and helpless when he tried to comfort her, so he had quickly stopped trying. It was his great failure as her retainer.

Abruptly, the forest he was travelling through gave way to a clearing, and Hubert saw a village in the distance. There were about a hundred or so houses scattered between farms. Hubert set off for what he judged to be the centre of the village. There was a lump in his throat as he braced for whatever was to come.

\--

“Son, you’re lookin’ a lit-tle rough. Are you one of those people fleein’ from the city after them damn Kingdom army folks sacked the place?” A man, likely middle age, came up to Hubert and started talking to him. “We’ve had a few of you folk come in here in the last few days.”

“Y-yes, that’s right. Could you possibly show me to the general store in this town?” As the words came out of his mouth, he was very aware of how different he sounded from the man he was speaking to. “I’m looking for some supplies.”

“A fancy lad, eh? “ The man patted him on the back. “Well, no matter. We can get ya fixed up here. The general store’s just thataway.” He gestured toward a building nearby with a small signpost. “If you’re lookin’ for work, son, ol’ farmer Ted’s needin’ some extra hands, and you’re a tall lad, even if a little skinny. A little bitta hard work’ll fix that right up, though.”

“Thank you for your kind words, sir. Have a nice day.” He bowed, putting his hand at his chest. _Well, that could have gone worse; at least I got information._ He felt awkward and out of place, but at least he was successful. Maybe he should have asked more about house construction, but perhaps that could come at a later date.

The door to the general store was open and he walked in. The woman sitting behind the counter had her arms crossed, with multiple small children at her feet. She was probably only slightly older than Hubert, if at all, but she looked _tired_. “Good mornin’, stranger. Is there something you’re looking for?”

The store smelled of something unfamiliar – perhaps some kind of food product – and the sounds of the children’s laughter rang out as his eyes searched around the store. It was a much noisier an environment than he was used to, and he did not particularly enjoy it. Noise made it hard for him to think, and he felt fuzzy-headed and unable to make sound decisions.

He recited the list of things he wanted to purchase to the shopkeeper– different foods, cooking supplies, clothing, hammer, and nails. She made a gesture, showing him where the food was. “Aye, if you wan’ clothing, you should visit Mary Anne down the street. She’s the best seamstress in town and can fix ya right up. No offense, but you really look like you could use some new clothes. You come in from the city, I assume? Most of the city folk we’ve ran across have just passed through here and gone somewhere else.”

“Yes, that is correct. I am planning on staying here for a longer length of time, so I would like to acquire supplies.” He gave her a smile. “I appreciate your assistance, madam.”

She gave him a funny look in response, cocking her head to the side, but did not comment further. “That’ll be 15 silver and 46 copper for your total, sir.” He handed her a gold piece in response, and she looked at him. “Sir, I don’t know about you fancy city folk, but out here, we don’t have much change to make for them gold pieces. You’re a rich boy, ain’t ya?”

“I’m not much of anything, these days.” The words came out more wistfully than he expected. “Ahem. Anyway, I can purchase more items, if that will help alleviate the problem.”

“Hey, I ain’t complaining about more shoppin’, sir. Take yer time and look around.” She gave him a slight smile, and he set about looking at what other inventory might be useful. One of the children started crying, until the shopkeeper picked him up and started consoling him. Life was certainly different here, he reflected.

\--

As he returned to where they were camped, he saw that Edelgard had rearranged the area in his absence. She had moved a pair of logs, cleaned them off, and placed them on either side of their campfire. It was crude and rudimentary, but it was a spot for them to relax. Edelgard was sitting on the larger log, and had already started cooking dinner at the campfire. She was intently looking at the food and paid Hubert no mind as he approached her. 

“I have returned, Lady Edelgard. And I have acquired some of our supplies. I was not able to find a bookstore – sadly, we were not able to fully enact our reforms regarding education before the Kingdom army invaded – but I have everything else that we wanted.” He placed the supplies down and then sat down on the larger log, next to her.

“Hello, Hubert. Thank you. Didn’t I tell you not to call me Lady anymore?” She raised her eyebrows at him and smiled. “You silly man. Anyway, dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”

“Sounds excellent.” He stared at the fire, exhausted from his long day, and watched the orange flames crackle as they reached up toward the deer meat on the spit above. The deer was much more expertly skinned than it had been even a few days ago; Edelgard had learned her craft very quickly. She had always been excellent at picking up skills, even as a child. She was strong and clever and resourceful. And every single one of those traits would be vital in helping them survive this.

She had always been the physically stronger of the two of them, especially after the experiments had imbued her with a second Crest. At first, serving a girl who was smaller, younger, and far stronger than him had embarrassed him, but over time, he had found his own niche. Edelgard was a woman of big ideas and dreams, and Hubert, as her most loyal servant, had always been the person who attended to the details that were beneath her notice.

However impressive her strength had been before, she was much stronger now. She had muscles bulging out of her black arms, and when he watched her hunt animals, she tore them apart so quickly that if he looked away for even a moment, he might miss it. As he looked at her arms and claws, he realized just how quickly she could tear him apart if she desired. Instantly, one of those traitorous thoughts appeared in his mind, unbidden. He imagined her clawed hand around his throat, lifting him up. He saw his limp body, dangling a hundred centimeters in the air as she used her other hand to claw down his chest. He felt a lump in his throat as he realized his excitement.

_No, Hubert, you must stay focused!_ _These thoughts are not appropriate!_

“Are you okay? You were spacing out for a second. Dinner’s ready.” Edelgard looked at him, but he was unsure how to interpret her emotions. Perhaps concerned for his mental state? To be frank, he was starting to become concerned as well.

“Yes, I am fine. Thank you for preparing dinner.”

“I’ve been thinking about how we could build our house, and now that you’ve brought a saw, as well as a hammer and nails, we should be able to do it.” She continued to talk about her plans as they ate. As usual, when Lady Edelgard put her mind to something, she crafted her plans with meticulous precision. Whatever effects the transformation had wrought on her body, her mind was still perfectly intact. He nodded along with her but was having trouble following everything she was talking about.

Finally, he cut in. “I will leave this task to you, Edelgard. As for myself, I will try to find work in the village. A man in the village said there was a position working on a farm.”

“You? Working on a farm?” She let out a strange sound that was likely a laugh. He was a bit offended that she would mock him. He knew he wasn’t exactly cut out for the work, but he had hoped she would be supportive of his idea. “Well, I guess we need to acquire money somehow, and if you can’t find anything better, I suppose it’s not the worst idea.”

“Indeed. We will need money to survive the winter. I will do anything to make sure we can survive, even common labor.”

She was silent for a few minutes, staring at the bones of the deer she had eaten. She turned away from him and he heard what he thought was a sniffle. “I appreciate you more than you can possibly know, Hubert. Any other person would have left me to die.” The lump in his throat returned.

“Well, good thing I am not ‘any other person’ then.” He put his hand on her shoulder and she turned back to him, looking at him with her red eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. The contrast between the black exoskeleton on her face and the white of her hair and remaining exposed skin was striking. To him, it seemed almost a metaphor for how she was both the same and different from before. “I told you that I would stick by you forever, and I meant it,” he continued, looking her in the eyes. He wanted to kiss her so desperately that he was almost overwhelmed by it, but she would reject him, surely. Surely he could not breach that line, the line that he had drawn the day he had dedicated himself to his service of Lady Edelgard.

She put the back of her hand on his face, its scaly texture brushing against him. Her claws were so close, and his eyes drifted toward them, long, black, and sharp, with flecks of deer blood still stained upon them. He could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears as she looked him in the eyes. She had done this before; it was her way of showing him that she was sincere, but he had never had to deal with these unwanted feelings creeping in.

He put his hand inside of hers and touched the inside of her palm. His stomach jolted with a burst of feeling as he felt her palm, still soft to the touch. She closed her hand. Could he dare entertain the thought that she might feel the same way about him? When he had woken up a couple days ago, her arm wrapped around him, he had just assumed that she was sad and needed someone to hug. But could it be more than that?

She moved her hand away, and then let out a laugh, a bit different from the one a few minutes ago. “These claws make it difficult, you know. They aren’t very good for this sort of thing.” As she spoke, tears started rolling down her cheeks again. “You probably find me quite repulsive now. This body is hideous.” She let out a sob. 

He felt frozen in time as he looked at her, the words caught in his throat. He didn’t want her to think that, but he feared to tell her his true feelings. He couldn’t bear for her to think that he was a lecherous man, too consumed by lust to think straight. Meanwhile, she seemed to read the worst from his pause. “It’s okay, Hubert. You can be honest with me. I know that I am no longer the woman I once was.”

He breathed in and looked her in the eyes. “Edelgard. You are wrong. Perhaps you do not look the same as you once did, but you have not changed in my eyes. You have always been intelligent, beautiful, and charming, and you still are.” He grabbed her hand with his hands and brought her hand to his lips. “It was an honor to be your retainer, and now, it is an honor to be your companion.” Companion. Yes, that was ambiguous enough to work for his purposes.

“Beautiful?” She scoffed. “You’re just trying to make me feel better.”

“I am completely sincere. If there is one thing you know about me, Lady Edelgard, it is that I am always honest.” It was true. He had always tried to be honest, at least with her.

“Then I fear the events of these recent weeks have addled your eyes.” She wasn’t going to let him win this argument, was she?

“If you insist on stubbornly refusing my compliments, then what can I say? If I recognize a diamond before my eyes, is it because I am addled? Or you could just accept that I consider you beautiful.” He smiled weakly at her. Had he gone too far?

“You truly think so? I don’t feel beautiful.”

He kissed her hand again. “Then I haven’t done a good enough job of convincing you.”

“Hubert, if I didn’t know better, I would think you were flirting with me.” His heart was about to pop out of his chest. He was confused, disoriented, out of his element. He had never flirted with a woman before. If she knew his inner thoughts, his treacherous mind, she would think badly of him. She would think that he was the monstrous one.

“I am simply making statements of fact.” He looked at her and wanted to say more, but his words caught in his throat. After a silence that seemed to go on for an eternity, he spoke again. “A-anyway, I would like to have a wash before bed. I am going to go to the village again tomorrow to find work.”

“I’d like to wash up too. Let’s go together.”

\--

“Son, for a big man, you sure can’t do much heavy liftin’. I’d thought you’d be stronger, even with those skinny arms of yours.” The farmer, Ted, gave him a rough pat on the back. The other workers had gotten much more work done than he had, although some of them had been kind enough to help him out.

Except for the muscular, red-haired gentlemen. That man had mocked him and called him a “candy-ass”. Worse, he implied that Hubert was a priest, a “nosy pain-in-the-ass to everyone with his mumbo-jumbo about the Church of Seiros”. Being compared to members of the church was more insulting than any of the other barbs that had been hurled his way.

In other words, his first day on the job could have gone better.

“I apologize for not meeting your standards, sir. I will try to achieve better results in the future days.” He gritted his teeth in irritation, but he could endure anything. He wanted to keep this job in order to earn money because they needed it. He was completely and utterly exhausted, and felt as if he could not move another centimeter if he tried. At least it was over for today.

“Eh. I’ve seen worse and made ‘em better.” The older man chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, kid. If you’ve got the drive to improve, you’ll do fine. Although, just between you and me, if you keep talkin’ like a stuffy city boy, the townsfolk may not take kindly to ya. Also, do you youngsters from the city not get enough sunlight, boy? Because you’re as white as a ghost. Don’t worry ‘bout that, though, cuz another few weeks of honest work ‘ill fix that.”

“Thank you for your advice, sir.” Hubert bowed, clenching his fist and putting his hand at his chest. As soon as he finished, he let out a small laugh. “I suppose that did not make me seem less stuffy, did it?”

“Not really. I ain’t asking any questions about you, son. Your willingness to work hard’s good enough for me.”

“Thank you. Have a pleasant evening, sir.”

As he walked away from the town, he looked around at the various buildings. One of them was a small church, dedicated to the absent goddess and her followers. He wondered where the goddess watched the world from, without care for the people who dwelled below her. If she even existed. If it were up to him, such a negligent, uncaring goddess would no longer be allowed to dictate people’s lives. He felt anger burn inside of him as he listened to the church bells ring. The so-called goddess had allowed Lady Edelgard to suffer, and her cursed followers had stood in the way of progress.

His mind flashed back to the day that Edelgard, Ferdinand, and himself spent hashing out how they would implement a new system where people, regardless of status, would be freely educated. He remembered how pleased he had been that Ferdinand, whom he had always considered a proud blowhard obsessed with nobility, had put forth comprehensive proposals to help alleviate the gap in education between the poor and the rich.

But Ferdinand was dead, and so was the Empire.

He noticed that his right hand was clenched into a fist, his nails digging into his skin. Dammit, and he had just started to get to know the real Ferdinand, not the insipid mask the younger man had worn at the academy. Hubert thought it was ironic that the three of them had sat around and thought about what the future held for common people of Adrestia, but none of them had known that much about what life was like in small farming villages such as this one.

His stomach ached to think about how much progress might have been lost for humanity because they lost the war. When would peasants be freed from the shackles of false religion, poverty, and a lack of education? Would it be hundreds of years from now? Ever?

With that sobering thought, Hubert quickened his steps towards his new home, where Edelgard waited for him. That was all he needed now. They had tried to change the world and failed. Those who rejected change could burn. And Hubert, just like the people of the village, would simply make his way in an unchangeable world, as best he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my lovely husband for editing once again!


	4. Transformed Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > “I am content to spend my days with you, doing whatever makes you happy. Really, I could desire nothing more.” She swallowed. It was flowery words like these that made her think he was interested in her, but it was so difficult for her to be sure. She just wanted him to be straightforward. But... she couldn’t help but smile when he said that. 
> 
> Some time has passed since Edelgard and Hubert's arrival in their new forest home. While learning to survive in their new life, they work to sort out their own feelings for one another. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter that I have switched POV within a chapter, but I felt like it was appropriate!
> 
> CW for body dysmorphia, some light sexual content
> 
> Some light in-character bashing of other characters in the game. No offense intended, of course. :)

Six months had passed since they had escaped from Enbarr.

Edelgard had, at first, started the cabin-building project as something to fill time, but over the last six months, it had become an obsession. Her work filled every hour from the time Hubert left for the village until his return in the evening. She had wanted to complete as much of the cabin as possible before the winter came. She wasn’t concerned about herself; the Crest of Flames kept her body temperature warm and she even had the ability to regulate the temperature of her surroundings using the crest’s power. But she was concerned for Hubert’s well-being, and after all he had done for her, she wanted to repay the favour.

With some planning and many hours of work every day, she had been able to build a basic shelter in three months time, completing it just as winter set in. It had been nothing to be proud of, but it was shelter from the cold. For the last three months, she had worked on perfecting it. Because of her strength and resistance to the cold, she was able to work through the harsher conditions of winter.

She looked onto her work proudly. It was starting to look like a real house, instead of just a shelter. She had finished the final touches on the very large door she had crafted, large enough that she could walk through it. She had already put up all of the walls and had done some minimal decorating. Maybe at some point she would set up something more elaborate, but for now, it was coming along quite nicely.

After admiring the door she had worked so hard on, she pulled it open, and her heart swelled as it swung open smoothly. In the large room inside, she saw Hubert. He was sitting in his chair, another piece of her handiwork. She had turned the claws which she hated to her advantage, and had crafted a pair of chairs for them to sit on in their little house, one larger than the other of course. They were far from the pretty works of art they had sat on in the Imperial palace, but they were sturdy and functional.

Hubert was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and long pants, designed to keep him warm for his job, which had transitioned from helping with the harvest to repairing various tools and machines on the farm. During any extra time, he had started running errands for people in the village because the work on the farm was leaner in the winter than during the harvest.

Over the last six months, his body had changed. He had always been all angles for the two decades she had known him, a tall man but all bones. Now, though, his arms were muscled and his chest, always broad, had filled out. His hair was longer than he had kept it during his time as Minister of the Imperial Household and his face less clean-shaven than she could ever remember seeing it (although he did try to keep it as closely shaven as he could). But the raven black hair and pale green eyes were still strikingly, unmistakably Hubert.

Both of them had gotten into the pattern of working long hours, which had allowed her to occupy her brain with things besides… all of those things she pushed to the back of her mind. Her disgusting body. Her failure. The lives lost on her behalf. Her feelings of burdening Hubert. If she could make herself useful to him… that would make her happy. Was this how he had felt about her all of these years?

Ever since they had escaped from Enbarr with their lives, there had been moments of romantic tension between them. Their hours were filled with hard work, leaving little time for them to spend together where at least one of them was not exhausted. However, she felt a sense of tenderness in those rare moments where they had time to relax together. He certainly wasn’t like a man from a fairy tale or a romance novel, but he seemed to be ever so slowly trying to get closer to her. Or at least she thought so? She found him hard to read, especially emotionally. He was too good at masking his true feelings, and she could never tell if he said things out of romantic affection or simply his platonic feelings for her.

One thing he had been very insistent on was that her body did not repulse him. He had kissed her hands so many times, telling her over and over that she was beautiful. Fuck, she was so frustrated. She couldn’t figure out if he desired her or was just trying to cheer her up. Either way, she was terrified to take the plunge of asking, afraid that it would permanently ruin their friendship. Their friendship was one of the only things she had left; the thought of damaging it was mortifying.

Just because he told a monster she was beautiful out of pity didn’t mean he wanted a relationship with one.

Wordlessly, she grabbed some deer meat out of the ice box – another piece of her craftwork – and walked out of the house. Sitting on a log, she began cooking dinner for them outside, the Crest of Flames-imbued fire burning despite the cold. For a while, they had cooked vegetables with their dinners, but as the winter dried up the food supply, they had turned back to eating primarily stray animals she had hunted during the day.

“Edelgard.” After a few minutes, Hubert’s voice pierced the silence. She turned around, and he stood in the newly completed door, looking upon it. “It looks like you finished the door. I am glad that you were able to get the hinges on properly.” It was unlike Hubert to bring up trivial conversation points. She wasn’t sure what his aim was.

She turned her eyes back to the spit. “Yes, that’s right. I’m pleased with how it turned out. Now we will be able to keep the cold out more effectively.” She spoke almost absentmindedly, trying to figure out what to say. Finally, she continued, eyes concentrating on her cooking. “Is there something troubling you, Hubert?”

Hubert paused for a bit and breathed in noticeably before speaking. “Truthfully… I have been thinking about the future.” Edelgard’s heart lurched instinctively.

“What about it?” she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

“What shall we do once winter ends? Would you like to stay here in the woods or would you like to go somewhere else?” She felt slightly disappointed for a moment, but really, she should not have expected anything else. Hubert had always wanted to plan things in advance. Personally, she found herself enjoying the freedom that came with living day by day, rather than planning every detail of her life. It was one of the benefits of her new reality that there were fewer expectations of her, and she could live the way  _ she _ chose.

She let out a sigh and stretched out her arms. “Hubert, there’s no rush. I just finished building our house! Unless you are dissatisfied with it?”

“If staying here is what you want, then I will acquiesce to your wishes.” He spoke in a simple, monotone voice.

“Hubert, you’re so annoying sometimes. I asked you what  _ you _ wanted! And you avoided my question! I am no longer the emperor and you are no longer my retainer. You are allowed to express your desires and wishes.”

He didn’t respond for a bit, and then came and sat next to her. “I am content to spend my days with you, doing whatever makes you happy. Really, I could desire nothing more.” She swallowed. It was flowery words like these that made her think he  _ was _ interested in her, but it was so difficult for her to be sure. She just wanted him to be straightforward. But... she couldn’t help but smile when he said that.

“Well, I am happy to stay here for now if you are. Anyway, dinner’s ready.” She served both of them some meat on a plate, and they ate. After a few minutes, she decided to pick up the conversation again. “How was work today?”

“Fine. I was helping the doctor in town refill some of her tinctures and I brewed some healing vulneraries and concoctions. I think she was surprised that I learned the art so quickly. Perhaps I should have feigned ignorance, so she would not suspect just how much apothecary work I had done in my previous line of work.” He gave a soft chuckle. “Anyway, tomorrow she wants my help organizing her medical files. She knows that I am literate because I read some of the labels she had written on the bottles.”

“Hopefully she’s not clever enough to deduce your identity.”

Hubert gave a shrug. “I don’t think people around here care all that much. There’s little love for the Kingdom out here, so even if they did figure it out, I doubt they’d report me.”

But what if they did? Dread welled inside of her. She didn’t want to be left alone. The thought of being alone, again, forever. She couldn’t bear it. She couldn’t deal with it.

She put her hand on Hubert’s leg. “I couldn’t bear to lose you, Hubert.” He looked at her with his pale green eyes, an unreadable expression on his face. She wanted to be closer to him. She yearned for his touch, his hands in her hair the same way he had done on that first day six months ago. She had not needed his help washing for a while, but sometimes she  _ craved _ for him to ask her if she needed help washing. To touch her body. 

Instead, he simply put his hand on top of hers. That was as far as he ever went. Blinking her tears back, she let his hand linger on top of hers for a few minutes before they both went off to do their tasks before bed.

\--

“You have excellent brewing abilities  _ and _ you were able to organize these files in record time. It seems to me that your talents are wasting away on Ted’s farm. No offense to him, of course.” Charlene, the town doctor, eyed Hubert up and down as they stood in her medical office. She was an older woman, likely in her early fifties, and her hair was mostly grey with a spattering of black. The task she had assigned him was a trivial task to someone who had been the Minister of the Imperial Household, but she didn’t know that. She continued. “I could use a full-time assistant, but I’m afraid I couldn’t afford to pay you like one.” She let out a sigh.

Hubert smiled in response. “I enjoy working with you in whatever capacity you will have me. Is there anything else I can do for you today, Madam?” It had been very difficult for him to change his way of speaking. Charlene seemed to find him amusing, though, which he wasn’t sure how he felt about. Better that than her hating him, that was for sure.

“No, I don’t have anything planned out, Henry.” He had come up with the name the day that he was hired at the farm, but it was still foreign to his ears unless he listened for it. “I was not expecting you to take such a short amount of time to do this. Hm. Have you considered moving to Arleburg to work for the clergy? You’d make an excellent clerk.”

He hoped that she did not notice his eyes widen. He suppressed a shiver. He would rather do anything than work for the church. Anything.

“I enjoy my work here. Thank you for your kind words. Have a pleasant day.” It had taken him a while, but he had gotten out of the habit of bowing when he said farewell to someone who was his employer. Old habits were hard to break, he supposed.

He decided to head back home, ruminating on what Charlene had said. Sure, it would be nice to do a desk job, but he would rather starve than work for the damn Church of Seiros. It made him sick at his stomach to think about it. He had heard from the townsfolk that Rhea’s chosen successor, Byleth, and the so-called Savior King, Dimitri, were engaged to be married, merging the church and the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus once and for all, and dooming the continent to theocracy for the foreseeable future. From the moment he had laid eyes on that woman who had been their professor at Garreg Mach, he knew that she would cause them trouble. He should have killed her when he had the chance. But instead, he was a pauper, living out in the forest for the rest of his days, while she would have a long life of luxury putting a fresh face on Rhea’s vile regime.

As he moved closer to the cabin, thinking about his failings, his eyes caught a black figure, body lying on the ground next to a fallen tree.  _ Oh no... _

Edelgard was unconscious and was bleeding from her head, a thin trail of red blood trickling onto the ground, seeping into the soil. His heart started pounding rapidly, as if trying to escape from his chest. What if she was dead? His stomach churned with anguish, dread, apprehension. How long ago had this happened? 

Shaky and panicked, he ran up to her as quickly as he could, trying to assess the damage. He tried to use his own limited arsenal of Faith magic on her head, but it didn’t seem to help too much. Maybe it would stabilize her? He used his magic over and over, knowing that it may not do any good, but it was the only thing he could think of in the moment.

What if she was dead? His thoughts kept coming back to that. Edelgard was the last remnant of everything he had lived for. Everything he had worked for his whole life. And he… cared for her very deeply. She had suffered so much in her life and yet she cared so deeply for the world. He felt anguish clouding his senses and just began to cry, sobbing while kneeling over her body.

_ No, this is not useful!  _ What could he do to help her?  _ Okay, think, Hubert, think. Calm down.  _ He had just given all of those medicines to the doctor. Could he possibly ask for her help? If there was anyone in the village that he could trust to keep his secrets, it was the doctor. And besides, what choice did he have?

Panic moving to action, he did the only thing he could think of. He ran to town.

\--

The doctor had thankfully been available to help him out. She was not very fast, but she sped along as quickly as she could. Anxiety flooded his brain as they hastened through the forest. What if they were too late? But before they approached the place where we had found Edelgard, he spoke.

“Before we get there, there is something you must know.” Hubert hesitated, tension building in his throat. Neither of them stopped moving. “My companion,” he let out a sigh and continued, “is no longer fully human. Her mind is intact, but her body is that of a… beast. Please do not be alarmed. She will not hurt you. And please, please, do not share this information with anyone else.”

“Of course. That is part of a doctor’s code. I’ve seen a lot of things in my life, Henry, working out here in the country.” She nodded and they continued to walk toward where Edelgard was unconscious. He supposed he would have to take her at her word.

“I stabilized her using Faith magic, but it is not something I am particularly adept in.” The doctor raised her eyebrows in response. It was not a skill that everyone had, after all. He was building quite a repertoire of skills that others would find unusual.

“You’re an odd boy, Henry. Probably minor nobility, if I had to take a guess? Second or third son, trained as a healer and an apothecary?” Not quite, but not a bad guess. He didn’t respond.

A few minutes later, the doctor spotted her. “By the goddess! This is… your companion?” He nodded. “She looks like a demonic beast, except more human-like. How in the world…”

“Can you help her?” Hubert spoke impatiently, ready to see if she could be saved.

“I will try my best. I’ve never tried to heal the wounds of a demonic beast, though.”

The seconds seemed to stretch out for an eternity as Hubert waited. He watched the woman weave her own Faith magic to try to close the wound. She used her magic in tandem with the concoctions she had brought with her. The same concoctions he had helped make the previous day. Finally, after a long, painful few minutes, Edelgard began to stir, and opened her red eyes. The doctor backed away from her, and Edelgard looked panicked, but before anything happened, Hubert instinctively put his arms around her. “It’s okay, it’s okay. A tree fell on you. She’s just here to help you. Don’t worry.” He brushed his fingers through her hair, hoping to soothe her.

“Hubert, what is wrong with you? Don’t treat me like a child.” Dammit, why had she said his name? Although, he should be kind to her. She  _ had _ just woken up from a traumatic head injury.

“You just seemed alarmed. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He spoke to her as gently as he could, still hugging her.

She did not speak further on the subject, but she was likely annoyed with him. Instead, she spoke to Charlene in a confident voice. “Thank you for your help, madam. Hubert has told me about your fabulous work as a doctor in the town, and it seems that you have saved my life. I greatly appreciate it.” Her gratitude was genuine. Even though Edelgard was no longer the emperor of Adrestia, she still cared for its people, and wanted to see them healthy and safe, even if they were no longer hers to rule. It was something he admired about her. If it was him, he might have just given up on the world entirely.

He could tell that Charlene was giving her bravest smile. In the older woman’s eyes, he saw softness toward her patient, despite Edelgard’s… unusual appearance. He wondered if Charlene had seen a human who had been transformed into a demonic beast before. It had happened at the monastery, when those vile  _ people _ were experimenting on the students. “It is no trouble. Glad to be of assistance. Are you in pain?”

“Your work has done wonders. I feel fine, actually. I think I can probably get up and walk now.”

“I think you should rest here for at least two hours if you want to recover fully. We can stay with you and care for you.”

Hubert interjected. “May I speak with you for a minute, doctor?” He was hoping to talk to her about compensation for her work, since she had used several of her limited supply of concoctions on Edelgard’s wounds.

“We will be back in a few minutes, dear. Don’t move a muscle while we’re gone!”

As they moved out of earshot of Edelgard, he spoke. “Charlene. I know that the tinctures you used on her were very expensive. Allow me to compensate you for your work. I have the money that you paid me for my work today, but if you need anything more, I can provide that.”

“Honestly…” She paused for a second, rubbing her chin with her left thumb. “Hubert von Vestra. The Minister of the Imperial Household, and the emperor’s right-hand man. Rumors painted him as a very exacting, meticulous man, but he was rarely seen in the public eye. Black hair, tall.” She chuckled nervously. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. I’m not interested in turning into a Kingdom lapdog. I’m just amused. You must find the work in my office terribly boring. Beneath your talents.”

He let out a bitter laugh, one that came from inside of his chest. “Nothing is beneath me, madam. I am simply a man trying to care for the person I love most. And for that, I will do anything.” Love? Did… those words just come from his mouth?  _ Of course you love her, Hubert! You have cared for her your whole life! _

_ “ _ You are truly dedicated, to stick with her even after her transformation. I’ll take a day’s work in the office tomorrow as payment,  _ Henry _ . Anyway, I need to get back to my office. Other patients may need my help.”

\--

After the doctor left and Edelgard had mostly recovered, she and Hubert went back to the cabin and sat down in their chairs. She couldn’t believe she had been so careless. It was the second time Hubert had saved her life in the last few months, and what did she offer him in return?

She just wanted to scream. She wanted to escape from this cursed body and just… be free, normal, happy. She had never had a normal life: her childhood, destroyed by experimentation, her teenage years, occupied with her ambitions, and her early twenties, marred by the war that she herself started.

She started crying. She was usually able to hide it from Hubert, but she was at her limit. What was she going to do for the rest of her life as a misshapen beast? She just… couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to crawl out of her own skin. She had escaped from death at Enbarr, and again today, but she could not escape from her own body.

Despite the head injury only a few hours ago, she felt physically fine. But she was devastated and had no clue how to escape from this pointless existence. She was a beast. A monster. Inhuman. And now the woman in the village knew that there was a monster in the woods. What if she reported them? Maybe she should just give herself up. Hubert could just leave her, live his life out elsewhere. She began sobbing, tears running down her cheeks.

“Edelgard.” Hubert’s voice sounded firm and resolute. “I think it is time for me to clarify something for you.” He rose from his chair, walked over to where she was sitting, and wiped the tears from her face with his handkerchief. “I know that our life has been hard the last few months. I know that your body bothers you. I know that I am not very good at expressing my true feelings. But…” He grabbed her (clawed, deformed) hands. He looked her in the eyes in silence and then finally spoke, his voice soft. “Edelgard. I care for you very deeply. More than I ever believed possible. When I saw you lying there on the ground, bleeding, it felt as if my heart had been squeezed out of my body. I can’t bear the thought of life without you. I’m afraid that I… may have fallen for you.”

Her heart began pounding in her chest. Was she hearing this right? She let out a croak. “Even with my body in this horrible state?”

“Edelgard. I do not think it is horrible at all. With your permission, I can prove it to you.” She felt a jolt in her heart. She had longed for his touch, and now he was asking her permission to give it? She felt her body shaking in anticipation.

“Hubert, there is nothing I want more than the feeling of your hands on my body.”

“Is that so? Then I think it is time I fulfill that want.” He looked at her for a bit, presumably thinking about what he wanted to do next. He put his hands on her shoulders and began rubbing them. “I confess. I have never done this before.”

“I’ve only read about it in books, myself. You know, the ones you always made fun of me for reading.” They both laughed nervously; she was sweating. She could see that he was too. “How about you sit in my lap?”

His eyes widened. “That sounds like a most splendid idea.” He sat sideways, his thighs across her lap and his legs dangling. She was suddenly very aware of how small he was compared to her. He looked so funny with muscular arms, she thought, but she didn’t mind. It was just different than what she was used to. And how could she possibly complain about that, with her own body changed so much? 

He put his hands on her arm, massaging it gently as he progressed up toward her shoulder and then her collarbone. As he touched her, her sadness began to evaporate. As he reached the exoskeleton surrounding her collarbone, she could no longer feel the warm touch of his fingers. He looked up at her, the look in his eyes fearful but eager. “Continue, Hubert. Touch me wherever you like.”

He turned to face her, and moved down to cup her breasts in each of his hands. She had never been very well-endowed as a human woman, but with the transformation, everything about her had grown larger. The outside of her breasts were covered in black, muscle-like flesh. She hadn’t thought about them very much before, since she considered everything about herself to be hideous, but now that he was touching them, she was very aware of them. She felt warm pleasure move into her as he moved his hands back and forth. They were not as bouncy as the ones in romance novels, but nevertheless, she enjoyed the new sensation greatly.

Involuntarily, she let out a giggle. “That feels sooooo good. I hope they don’t feel too strange in your hands.”

“I have never felt anything more wonderful in my life. Ahem, if you do not mind, Lady Edelgard, a request.” She looked down at him, surprised to hear her old title. “Please do not insult your body or ask me if you are ‘strange’. I do not think anything about you or your body is strange. As a matter of fact, I think you are perfect. Now, may I continue?”

He moved his hands down slowly, finally settling on her waist. She was trying not to cry again at his pretty words. He was a confounding man, indeed. As he put his hands closer and closer to her posterior, she interjected with, “Kiss me, Hubert.”

He lifted his head up, raising himself up to his full-seated height, and she leaned her head down to kiss him. Her tongue was longer and more reptilian than it was before, and as she went to mention it, the words caught in her throat as she remembered what he had just told her.  _ Don’t ruin the mood, Edelgard! _

His tongue was hot and wet in her mouth. She had always read in the novels that a good kiss was slow and methodical, so she tried to go as slow as she could, but his tongue was moving wildly. She removed her lips for a moment. “Slow down! You don’t have to move your tongue so quickly!”

Before he had a chance to respond, she dived in again. He took her advice the best he could, and as they locked lips again, she wanted it to go on forever. She felt… excitement flooding through her body. She felt herself becoming wet, and once the kiss ended, she glanced and saw something bulging in the front of his pants. She couldn’t stop staring, even though a proper woman would probably turn away. He really, truly was attracted to her, even now?

“It’s impolite to stare.”

“I-I’m sorry! I’m just… happy that you are happy.” She felt her cheeks turning red again, but she had no idea if he could notice. To her frustration, she found herself unable to come up with more elegant words.

He brushed his hand against her face. “Do not worry. I am very happy.” He paused and smiled. “Honestly, I’m just relieved that I finally worked up the courage to tell you the truth.” He rose from his position sitting on her lap, and kissed her forehead. “You’ve had a long day. Your hair is bloodied from your accident. I can help wash you up.” And hopefully he could run his fingers through her hair again, like he did the very first day after they had escaped. She tried to hide her joy at his offer.

“Yes, that sounds lovely.”

It was hard for her to recall that, even a few minutes ago, she had been on the brink of falling into despair. Now she felt light, almost giddy. She never imagined that her first kiss would be with Hubert, in the middle of a forest, after she had transformed into a monster, but nevertheless, she was just so excited! Her stomach was filled with butterflies. Was this what love felt like?

Hubert looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to go with him to the pond. She took his hand, and they walked out into the twilight together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my lovely husband for editing as always!


	5. If It Be Your Will

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > Although she was still skeptical of this whole ‘beautiful’ thing, she decided to keep that to herself. “I didn’t realize you needed someone to protect you, Hubert.”
>> 
>> “I didn’t either, until this very moment, with a strong woman’s arms wrapped around me. I could get used to this.” He always told her he was not good with flowery words, but she felt a distinct feeling surge between her legs when he said that. She had suppressed these feelings for so long, only allowing herself to indulge in a few romance novels, but she was having trouble containing her excitement. Hubert continued, his voice containing a hint of disappointment. “To be honest, I feel a bit like a doll. You are caressing me so timidly, but you do not need to worry. I am resilient.” 
> 
> Edelgard and Hubert dive into intimacy despite their collective insecurities. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a bit more sex than the others, just as a warning! NSFW! Oral sex with monsters! Watch out, faint of heart!

The sun had not yet risen, but she was awake. She glanced over at Hubert’s pallet, which felt so distant from her own.

She was overwhelmed by the sheer thrill of what had happened in the last twelve hours. Twelve hours ago, she had been recovering from her head injury, sitting half-dazed on the ground in the middle of the forest. Everything that happened after that was a blur. Her best and oldest friend, someone for whom she had distanced herself emotionally at times, had told her that he had fallen for her. She was overwhelmed by the power of his devotion to her, overwhelmed by her longing for touch and desire for affection, and he had indulged her in all of those wonderful things. He had touched her body, kissed her, made her feel beautiful… it was wonderful, but honestly a bit surprising. Hubert was a vexing man of many secrets.

He had taken her into the pond. It was too cold for them to stay long, but after some gentle hints from her, he had indeed washed her hair, just as she had longed for. She wanted to relive it in her mind, over and over. His hands washing her hair, his gentle kisses, his reserved smile. The softness of his hands running through her hair. That perfect moment where she had felt completely content. They had spent so many years together, but she had never imagined how gentle he could be if he wanted. He had always been full of hard edges and emotionally distant, but yesterday, that had changed.

She remembered the day that he had knelt at her feet, vowing to serve her and to help her achieve her goals. How he had told her that he would carve her path, regardless of how many lives he had to take to do so. She had been chilled at the ferocity in his eyes when he spoke to her about his bloody path. And once he had made that vow, she thought about how tirelessly he had worked at that task, even at the expense of his own health and personal life. There had not been a single person in the Empire who had worked harder for their cause than Hubert von Vestra. Not even the emperor herself. She had sometimes wavered, sometimes wanted to just be free, but she had never seen that from him, not a single time. He was so tight-lipped about his feelings that she could never be sure, but she always admired his steadfast, unrelenting devotion to her cause. Sometimes she had doubted herself, but seeing him had always given her the strength to carry on.

Now, she watched him sleeping, her eyes able to see in the dark as if it were twilight. She knew that he needed sleep for work the next day but, honestly, she just wanted to be close to him. The intensity of her feelings for him suddenly hit her. Had she suppressed those feelings for all of this time? Had she told herself that she shouldn’t, couldn’t love him, not romantically, that she didn’t deserve romance or love, that she was unlovable, that she was a monster? Had she hidden her feelings for him from herself all of this time, or had these intense feelings just appeared out of her desperation and longing for touch?

And how could he love her in this form? She didn’t know, but she had never known Hubert to be anything but honest and genuine. She had been, at times, embarrassed by his idolization of her and found it to be suffocating. She remembered the day he had said he loved her after she had pressed him on his feelings. She was confused after he said it. He passed it off as a joke, in his typical deflective way, but she wondered if he had been more serious about it than he had let on.

She didn’t know. Did it really matter anymore?

Despite her best judgment, she decided to move from her own pallet to his. She tried her best to slink quietly toward him. She ran her claws, now well filed, through his black, curly hair, tussled from sleep. She lay next to him, her legs hanging off the pallet.

“What is it? Is something the matter?” Hubert spoke groggily, and let out a big yawn. 

“I just wanted to be close to you.”

She saw a smile appear on his face and he reached out his arms to her. She wrapped one of her large arms around his torso, and the other she tried to keep out of the way. She had trouble finding a comfortable position for them to lie together. If they were face-to-face, her legs hung off of the pallet, but she wanted to be face-to-face. She wanted to kiss him again. 

She leaned in to kiss his forehead. She heard a soft laugh from him. “Must be nice to be able to see in the dark. I can’t see you at all.”

“I suppose this form isn’t all bad,” she responded sullenly.

“Edelgard…” He sounded melancholy as he spoke. 

“I know what you said, Hubert. But it’s hard for me to accept that I will be this way for the rest of my life.”

“I know.”

“I know you were trying to make me feel better when you said I was beautiful, but it was still really nice to hear.” She smiled again just thinking about it.

“Don’t put words in my mouth, Edelgard. I meant what I said.” He sounded mildly offended.

“How could you possibly believe that this body is beautiful?”

His voice took on a rather bemused tone. “Oh, so you’re criticizing my taste in women now?” His tone changed to a more flat, matter-of-fact one. “I wasn’t aware that I had to justify my attraction to you. I am attracted to your body because I am attracted to you. That’s all there is to it.” 

“Well, your body has changed too, Hubert. Do you like it?” She paused and spoke teasingly. “Most women find muscular men quite sexy.” She rubbed her hands on his biceps.

He brushed off her flirting as if it were nothing. “I have no opinion on it. The shape of my body is immaterial.”

“You’ve always undersold your looks, you know. I remember when we were at the academy together and your hair was so _ridiculous_. I never understood why you didn’t bother to take care of it. You could have had ladies swarming at you if you had just made yourself more presentable.”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I have never been interested in such things. The only thing that mattered to me was making sure that our plans came into fruition. Attachments would have only interfered with that goal.” It was a very classic Hubert answer, utilitarian and cold. 

“And what about now?” Her entire body filled with tension; her jaw was clenched and her stomach ached with anxiety. What would he say?

He didn’t respond for what seemed like forever. Finally, he spoke. “What do you want, Edelgard?”

“I asked first.”

There was a hint of frustration in his voice. “Please, I am no good with these hints. Are you asking me if I want to be in a relationship with you?” He paused and continued, more softly, looking down. “Because the answer is yes. But only if that’s what you want.”

“I would love it more than anything,” she spoke wistfully. “As long as you are sure.”

“I am. Also, I would like it very much if you would wrap me in your arms. I love the feeling of your body on mine.” And she loved the feeling of his hands on her body. She wanted it more and more by the second.

He got up and used a light spell to see in the dark. “Maybe we could go to your pallet, since it is larger. You can lie down and I can maybe snuggle next to you?” Snuggle next to her? Had Hubert just said the word ‘snuggle’? She tried not to let her heart pound too quickly, but she was just so excited. She gazed at his shirtless body, illuminated by the dim golden light. Damn, he really was good-looking, wasn’t he? He might not have thought much of his new physique, but she was feeling rather giddy looking at him, and her eyes couldn’t help but follow the small trail of black hair that lay below his belly button.

She did as he suggested and laid back down in her own pallet; he joined her and put his head next to her chest. She wrapped her arms around him, being careful to not squeeze him too tightly. She didn’t want to hurt him, after all. He rubbed his fingers along her arms, rubbing between the indentations that lay on them. “Your arms are very beautiful, you know that? I feel like I am safe with you.”

Although she was still skeptical of this whole ‘beautiful’ thing, she decided to keep that to herself. “I didn’t realize you needed someone to protect you, Hubert.”

“I didn’t either, until this very moment, with a strong woman’s arms wrapped around me. I could get used to this.” He always told her he was not good with flowery words, but she felt a distinct feeling surge between her legs when he said that. She had suppressed these feelings for so long, only allowing herself to indulge in a few romance novels, but she was having trouble containing her excitement. Hubert continued, his voice containing a hint of disappointment. “To be honest, I feel a bit like a doll. You are caressing me so timidly, but you do not need to worry. I am resilient.”

“I just didn’t want to hurt you. I sometimes underestimate my new strength. If I ever do anything to hurt you, please tell me.” Both of them went silent for a couple of minutes, and then she asked. “Are you happy?”

“Yes, I am. Although I am rather tired.”

“I’d like it if you slept next to me, Hubert.”

“There is nothing I would rather do than sleep in your arms, Edelgard.”

\--

The next day, Hubert spent a couple hours working on the farm, then headed to Charlene’s office to pay off his debt to her. He found he was having considerable trouble concentrating on his work. He was tired, yes, but in truth, he was just thinking about her. He had told her he felt safe in her arms, but honestly, he also wanted a bit of _danger._ As she had cooked them breakfast, he had watched her tail as it moved around, its arrow-like end looking as if it could pierce something in the heart in an instant. He recalled the very first sweat-soaked night in vague embarrassment, but also in anticipation of what could be. As he scratched his poorly shaved face, filling the vials with more tonics, he absent-mindedly thought about what kinds of things Edelgard could do to him with her tail.

Would she think he was a depraved man, for having all of these disgraceful thoughts?

A voice interrupted his thoughts. “How is she, Henry?” Charlene. She had guessed his identity, but she didn’t seem to be particularly interested in it. Since work started, she had acted as if yesterday was a perfectly normal, ordinary day and not the day that he had revealed that he lived in the woods with a woman who had been transformed into a beast. Not to mention the fact that he was the former Minister of the Imperial Household. Well, he supposed Charlene had lived a long time and experienced many things, but he doubted that she had ever seen a patient like that one. He had assessed her as honest in her declaration that she was not interested in selling them out, which was good because he didn’t want to have to kill her. It would be such a shame to do so, considering she had saved Edelgard’s life.

“She’s fine. Recovering in the cabin. Thank you for all of your help, Charlene. I couldn’t have saved her without you.” Hubert continued to mix the concoctions. 

“That’s good. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to help her with my magic and my medicine. I had never tried to heal a…” she lowered her voice. “…demonic beast before.”

“I had healed her before, so I knew it would work. My healing magic is quite weak, though, compared to yours.”

“It’s good enough for most purposes. You could work as a doctor in another village, I’m sure.”

“I know that you have my best interests at heart, but I’m not really a people person, Charlene. I like my privacy. Especially considering my identity and the identity of my partner. I am happy to work in anonymity indefinitely.”

“I could take you on as an apprentice. Then when I retired, you could take over my practice. I won’t need to teach you many things about medicine or magic, but you could use some training in bedside manner, I suspect.”

Hubert smiled at her and chuckled slightly. “You are likely right about that. I will consider it. Thank you, Charlene. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate your help.”

\--

She had been anticipating his arrival for a couple of hours since she had finished her work on their house. _How can I look sexy in this form?_ She wasn’t sure, but she practiced different poses, sitting on her pallet. He had said that he liked her arms, so she tried to make them more prominent. Should she open her legs or close them? He had brought home a mirror a little while back, so she practiced various facial expressions, trying to find the cutest one. None of them were that cute, but she settled on the closest thing she could do to a sexy smile. She hoped.

At first, she thought maybe she would wait until after dinner to initiate, but she was just so ready to be touched again. Why did he have to work for so long? She had never been whiny or clingy toward anyone before, but nothing else to do, she found her mind was strangely pre-occupied. Cabin-building had occupied her time for the last six months, but now, that had been replaced with thoughts about Hubert and all of the things they could do together. 

She heard the door begin to crack and, in an instant, there he was. The ends of his white shirt were covered with chemical stains, and the rest was splattered with mud from working on the farm. She could see exhaustion in his face, but also a hint of eagerness gleamed in his light green eyes as he walked from the doorway toward her.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Hubert.” She wasn’t sure if her voice sounded sexy or creepy, but he certainly seemed to take the message she was intending. He began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Honestly, I feel disgusting right now. Maybe I should wash in the pond before we do anything else.” He was probably right. With her keen sense of smell, she would likely be very aware of his sweatiness. But she didn’t care. She was ready to take it all in.

“Don’t you _dare_ leave. I’ve been waiting for you all day, Hubert von Vestra.” She looked him in the eyes and beckoned him to come over. 

“As you wish, madam.” He took an exaggerated bow with a flourish. “Is there something you would like from me?” He looked at her with a sly smile. What would she like from him? She wanted to kiss him until the sun set in the western sky. She wanted him to touch her body and she wanted to touch his.

“I want many things from you.” As she had practiced, she tossed her hair in her fingers, trying to look as cute as possible. It was probably all in vain, but she didn’t care. “I’m getting so lonely over here, all alone.”

He took the hint and walked over to give her a hug, wrapping his arms around her torso as she sat on her pallet. He spoke. “I could hardly keep my thoughts away from you today. It’s very hard to work when your mind has been captivated by a beautiful woman, you know.” His gaze pierced her, with all of the weight and passion of the world caught in it. She couldn’t stop looking at those eyes, endlessly intense.

“I hadn’t gotten very much done today either. At least, not until now.” She leaned in and began to touch her nose with his, using her claws to brush his hair, just as she had done in the morning. Her mouth was within centimeters of his. It took all of her willpower not to just kiss him immediately. But she wanted to savor that look in his eyes. After a minute of stillness, of building anticipation, she began to kiss him, more fervently than she had before. She kept one hand holding the back of his head, and she used the claws of her other to gently play with his hair as tongues danced together.

After a few minutes, they both came up for air, breathing hard. She let out a laugh. “This is even better than I had imagined it to be.”

“So are you saying that your romance novels undersold the experience, then?” She rolled her eyes and lightly punched him in the shoulder. He returned a small smirk at her. “I admit, it exceeded my expectations too.” And then they leaned in for another kiss.

\--

“It’s my turn to help you bathe, Hubert.” Edelgard was grinning at him, her large teeth glimmering in the light of the approaching dusk. She had carried him to the pond, which he had found both exhilarating and a bit embarrassing, and after stripping his pants off, she cradled him in her arms and started to give him a bath. Edelgard seemed positively gleeful. Her long white hair covered a small portion of the front of her body, and he ran his fingers through it as he sat there, being bathed.

She ran her hands down his back so gently, being careful to not scratch him or hurt him as she applied soap to his body. One of her hands, which was both soft and scaly, rubbed against him, while the other held him in the water. At his eye level were her, uh, magnificent breasts, covered in black tendrils. He had never been particularly attracted to breasts before, but now that he was presented with such an impressive pair, he was starting to reconsider that stance. He grabbed one of them with each of his hands and slowly began to move them. She looked down at him and raised her eyebrows, smiling with what he now recognized as a smile. A nice smile.

To be quite honest, he was so attracted to her that he could barely think straight. As soon as she stripped him, she had surely noticed, but she continued to lure him into her web more and more. Every minute or two, she leaned down and kissed him again, and the taste of her lips was just… amazing. Her tongue was very long and she only stuck a small portion of it in his mouth, but after some initial adjustments, it felt natural. He didn’t really have much of a point of comparison, though, since he had never kissed anyone else.

As she cleaned his chest, his eyes drifted towards her claws, which were carefully arced away from him. He was fascinated by them, especially when they were so damn close to him. So sharp. So deadly. “Hubert. Are you afraid I am going to scratch you? I have learned to use my hands quite well, thank you very much.” She spoke the words rather snippily. 

Could she have possibly missed the mark more? He wanted to laugh. “I just find your claws quite… tantalizing. And dangerous, shall we say.”

She looked surprised, he thought. She definitely did not understand. “Is that something that you find... desirable?” 

Should he be honest? He gulped before speaking. “Yes, it is. I find myself sometimes craving a bit of danger.”

“Is that so?” She continued to rub his chest with her hand. “So is that why you watch me hunt things so closely?” Well damn, she had noticed. She laughed. “You’ve always been interested in weird things, Hubert. But it’s okay. I guess I’m a ‘weird thing’ now.”

He looked up at her, disappointment dampening his mood. “Didn’t we have this conversation already? I can’t bear to hear self-depreciation from you.”

She looked him in the eyes, blinking rapidly. Was she trying to stop herself from crying? “I know. I know, Hubert. I know what you said.” She spoke the words with gritted teeth. “But it’s easier for you to say than it is for me to accept.” He was no good at this emotional stuff. He had upset her. How could he fix it? He was so out of his element.

“Then I will have to remind you more frequently, I suppose.” There were tears rolling down her face. Had he ruined the moment? Damn. Damn! “Edelgard. I apologize if I misspoke and upset you. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just want you to be happy and satisfied.”

She didn’t say anything back for a moment but simply stared into the distance. “I want to be happy and satisfied too. But I just don’t know how. I feel defeated. I failed at all of my goals. I’m here with you and I wish that we could just… kiss normally and hug normally but instead I’m constantly aware of my size and my claws and it just makes it so difficult for me to concentrate on anything else.” And then she started to sob. “I’m sorry, Hubert. None of this is your fault. You told me that I shouldn’t have turned into this form and you were right. You are too nice to say that, but I will say it now. I went through with this and we still lost. If I hadn’t, then at least I could have been a regular woman instead of a beast.”

Hubert paused to think of his words carefully. “I do not think you should lament the fact that you made your own decision. If you had been victorious, you would have deemed the transformation worth it, no? I’m not going to gloat about being ‘right’. I don’t care about that.” He breathed in deeply and sighed. “We are alive and we are together. If you hurt me, I will let you know. We can work together to make this work. Haven’t we always found a way through all of the struggles we’ve had in our lives?” 

Suddenly, an old memory tickled his mind.

_Dorothea had come crying to his office. She had been stood up for a date after spending a significant amount of money on opera tickets, and she didn’t want to go alone. “Hubie, you aren’t doing anything this evening, are you? Unless your ‘duty to Lady Edelgard’ is just too important to go with a friend to the opera?” Her voice mocked him and she laughed at him, but she was obviously upset, so he decided to accompany her._

_The memory of the opera itself was long gone, but he remembered Dorothea having quite a bit to drink during it. After the opera ended, Dorothea was quite tipsy, and he decided to ensure that she made it home safely. As she walked, she ranted about how men needed to treat women right. “Hubie, if you ever marry anyone besides your job, you need to make sure you take care of her. We love being showered in affection, gifts, and sweet declarations of love. But if you want to really make a woman happy? You’ve gotta go down on her. Lick her pussy dry. Not that it will be dry if you are doing it right.” She gave him a wink. Hubert felt his face flush. Dorothea was at often more risqué in her speech than Hubert was comfortable with, and her considerable level of intoxication seemed to have amplified that particular trait of hers._

_He was very unsure of how to respond. He hadn’t thought about the subject much before; too busy with his work, as she had teased. “Uh… duly noted.”_

_“You don’t have to be so stiff. Men always want you to suck dick, but when the shoe is on the other foot, it’s like, ewww, that’s gross! Never be that man, Hubie. Indulge women in their desires too.”_

If there were an afterlife, Dorothea would look down on him and smile. Maybe even give him a little wink. He had no idea what he was doing, but he would at least try. She had given him a few basic tips during that drunken night. “Edelgard, let’s go back to the cabin.”

She nodded at him and they walked back together.

\--

Back in the cabin, Edelgard looked at Hubert, unsure of what he was planning. He looked somewhere between nervous and mischievous. “Can you lie flat on your pallet?” She looked at him curiously, but she complied. “Okay, maybe prop your head up with a pillow or something.” She grabbed her pillow. “If I do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, just say the word and I will stop.” He gently laid on top of her, pressing his face to hers. His hands held her face and he smiled as he came in to kiss her. 

After a minute, he began to move down to her neck, putting his lips on it and slowly sucking on it. His hands moved down to caress her collarbone. She was starting to get very curious. “Are you planning something, Hubert?” He responded by rubbing his finger on her neck.

“Let me take care of everything. Trust me.” He started to move down further to her breasts and he began to suck on the left one, holding it with one of his hands. The other hand was on her waist, slowly moving back and forth. She could feel the wetness of his tongue as it wrapped around the place where her nipple used to be. He looked back up at her, pleasure lighting up his eyes. 

He continued to go further down, kissing her aaaall the way down from her breasts to her stomach to her waist. As he moved closer and closer, she felt herself starting to get excited. What _was_ he planning? She felt a tingling in her loins as he gripped each of her thighs. He looked up at her once again, his expression changed to something almost primal. She had never seen that look in his eyes before. He was always so measured, so controlled. But not right now. 

He came closer and closer to her vagina with every kiss. She had read about oral sex in her romance novels, but most of the time, unless it was women with other women, the men were the ones who received it. The building anticipation for whatever was going to happen was starting to really take its toll. He looked up at her one more time, still looking rather unusual, hair ruffled. He smiled and said “Edelgard. Am I permitted to continue?” She wondered if he could sense her eagerness and was just playing with her or if he was sincere.

“Please.”

And then he gently put his tongue in the hair surrounding her vulva. And then further in. And further. She closed her legs around his head and hoped that it didn’t crush him, but it felt so good as he continued to lick, coming ever closer to the orifice. _Has he done this before?_ She was so, so, so excited, and she felt the gel begin to come from her body as she let out a scream and her hands began to thrash around.

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Please, more, more, more!” She felt his tongue continue to move around inside of her as she burst into sheer bliss. He looked up at her once again, pausing for just a second. His hair was absolutely soaked. She reached down and trailed one of her hands through it. “Is that my fault?” she asked sheepishly.

He responded by going back down. 

\--

By the time it was over, his entire body was covered in Edelgard-flavored gel. He had not expected it, but it was like drowning in a sea of perfection. What man would not enjoy such a display of pleasure from the woman he loved most? The taste of her body lingered in his mouth as he rubbed his hair. 

“You’re absolutely drenched, Hubert,” she intoned playfully, smiling as she spoke.

“I wonder whose fault that is,” he replied dryly, but he couldn’t stop himself from smiling like an idiot. “If I bathe in you every day, maybe I will never have to go back to the pond again.” He couldn’t believe that had just come out of his mouth, but it had.

She put her hand on her chin. “I would absolutely love that. That was amazing. Had you… done that before? You were so good at it.”

He was very flattered. “No. I had not. Truth be told, I would have known it were possible if not for one of Dorothea’s drunken tirades.”

She laughed. “Oh. Oh! Okay, that’s pretty funny.” He tried not to feel his heart sink just a little as he thought of Dorothea. He was always so fond of her. She didn’t take anything from anyone, and had been harder working and tougher than anyone else he had known. Edelgard continued, her voice a bit uncertain. “Um, I think the wetness is a sign that you did a good job. Or that’s what I read. And that’s certainly what I feel.”

”I hope so, because I am soaked. Edelgard, I want to pleasure you as much as you would like. Your body is just so delicious.” If ‘licking her pussy’ (as Dorothea called it) every day made Edelgard happy, then he would do it every day.

“You truly mean that?”

“Absolutely. Is there anything else you would like me to do to prove it to you?” He clambered back up her chest to her lips, and he kissed her again, the gel taste still ever present in his mouth as he shared it with her.

As they finished, she spoke again. “I think you’ve done quite enough already. The real question is, can I do anything for you?” His thoughts jolted to his fantasies, but he didn’t want to talk about _those_. Too private. 

“For now, all I would like is for you to wrap me in your arms. I want to lie next to you and enjoy your sweet embrace. And I want you to know that that embrace is all I need in my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always to my lovely husband for editing!


	6. A Hubert of All Trades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > She paused for a moment, and continued, sounding reminiscent as she spoke. “Do you remember the day, back in the capital, when you told me that I was the one that you loved most? I thought you were just being flippant. I was so shocked when you said that, I didn’t know what to say. Were you being serious?”
>> 
>> “I… don’t know. I have always loved you, Edelgard. Loved you as a companion and friend. But now… I…” He stammered over his words, unable to fully piece them together when confronted.
> 
> Hubert and Edelgard discuss their feelings for each other, and Hubert comes up with a silly idea. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done with the fic :D! I hope it's not too sappy!!! Content warning for minor suicide ideation.

He had taken two days off of work to attend to some business, which, well...

Was becoming the obedient lover of a giant, black-scaled woman ‘business’?

The two of them lay on the bed together, the first night of his two-day vacation. He had no clothes on, and she had abandoned the scraps of clothing that he had procured for her. He lay on their pallet, his head propped up by his elbow, while she lay on her side, face to face with him. Hubert watched the candlelight flicker on her face as her red eyes gazed into his soul. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her to see everything inside of that dark, wretched place.

She reached her hand toward him and ran her claws through his black hair as gently as she could, her hand covering his eyes. He purred in contentment.

“Edelgard. That feels really nice. I like it when you run your fingers through my hair.” He felt his eyes roll back in his head; he felt almost _uncomfortably_ safe. He had never allowed himself to be this unaware before. It was a strange feeling. Strange and maybe just a little bit nice.

“Hubert, my dear. You seem to enjoy this very much. Is there anything else you’d like to enjoy tonight?” It was… a most dangerous question. “I feel like you are keeping something from me. Is there something you want to talk about? You can tell me anything you’d like.”

He spoke in a breathy, contented voice. “I just enjoy being close to you.”

She sounded distinctly testy in her response. “Hubert. Please.”

“Truthfully… I feel as if you treat me so gently. And I appreciate the gentleness. But I would also enjoy something a bit more… exciting.” He did not want to speak the true depths of his thoughts, lecherous as they were.

She responded by moving her claws away from his hair slowly, holding them in front of his face. She gazed at him through them, almost like bars in a jail cell. At least they hadn’t been put in one of those, after their defeat in Enbarr. Her voice cut through his dark thoughts. “What kinds of things were you thinking of? Don’t be shy.” His heart began beating wildly with fear and anticipation. She tilted up his chain with the back of her hand, just a little. “I can’t read your mind, darling. So please let me into your thoughts.”

“I want to be wrapped in your tail. I want you to lift me in the air and kiss me. I think we should have fun with our unique situation, instead of spending our time trying to get around it.” He smiled at her slyly, hoping to make her happy instead of sad.

All of a sudden, he felt something scaly run across his legs. He looked down and saw her tail brushing against them; had she taken his advice so quickly? He looked back up at her face, and saw a mischievous smile. He heard the sounds of her tail slapping against his leg as she probed around. She spoke in a teasing voice. “You know what happens when I wrap something in my tail, right?” And then suddenly, she got up on her hands and knees, encircling his thighs and lower torso with her tail and lifting him up. She slowly brought herself to her full height and began lifting him up beside her, holding him upright against her body. He felt the pressure of her tail against his thighs and abdomen as she held him in the air.

“Ahem. I would prefer not to be squeezed to death, if it is not too much to ask, my lady.” He laughed darkly. But the thrill of being hunted, even if it was not real, filled him with exhilaration as he hovered with his legs dangling well above the ground.

Then, she grabbed the sides of his chest with her hands and lifted him until their faces were level, her bulging muscles on full display as she effortlessly lifted him. A strong, muscular, beautiful woman. He looked upon her. Her white hair glistened in the dim light, her face still charming despite its changes, and her upper body radiating strength as her muscles flexed. Could he possibly ask for more? He had never thought much about what type of woman pleased him sexually, never really had time for such trifles, but her _strength_ filled him with excitement.

“Is this what you wanted from me?” She spoke the words shyly, but with a hint of mischief. She leaned in and began to kiss him fervently, her mouth almost consuming his face as she really got into the moment. After a few minutes, she pulled away from him, and his face was covered in her saliva. Not quite as satisfying as what had happened last week, but still, very enjoyable.

She sat him back down gently on the ground and he lay back down on the pallet that they called their bed. She put the back of her hand on his penis and began to slowly push inwards. Immediately, he felt wonderful sensations running all through his body and he began to cry out.

“Was that a happy sound? Please tell me if I hurt you.” Edelgard’s voice was full of concern.

Hubert could barely stammer out the words. “Y-yes. Please continue.”

It was a task that Hubert had done for himself before in the past, but with her hovering above him, her breath heavy and her body voluptuous, his senses were overwhelmed by sheer pleasure. It did not take long for him to finish and deposit his semen all over the bed. After, as he arose from his pleasure-filled coma, he saw her smiling above him. She began brushing the back of her fingers along his face, her motions gentle once again.

He looked down. “I seem to have made a mess. Shall I clean it up?”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Fine, but you’d better come back quickly.”

He cleaned up after himself for a few minutes, wiping up the remaining mess with an old towel. When he finished, she was sitting up against the wall of the cabin with her arms open, waiting for him. “You told me you like to sit with my arms wrapped around you, so I’d like you to come closer.” He obliged, leaning the back of his head against her chest, and they sat in silence for a few minutes. He felt a simple joy, safe in her embrace. Finally, she let out a sigh. “Hubert. I wanted to apologize for trying to push you away on those very first days, after we escaped from the palace.”

Had his feelings been hurt by that? He didn’t think so; he had just been driven by the need to survive in the moment. Hubert spoke back, closing his eyes. “You were not yourself. It was a hard time for both of us.”

“At first, I thought that the best thing for me was just to die, to disappear from this earth without a trace. Truthfully…” She paused. “Dimitri tried to spare my life in the throne room. I responded by attacking him. I didn’t want to live with my failure in a jail cell for the rest of my life, so I chose death.”

Hubert gasped. He hadn’t realized the depth of her feelings; his heart sank, at the thought of her wanting to _die_. Had she really desired death so badly? And perhaps Dimitri was not as wicked as Hubert had thought, if he was capable of mercy. She continued. “But you’ve given me a reason to live again. Our dreams may have died, but we’re alive, aren’t we?”

“Yes. And we’re together.” He opened his eyes and put his hand on her arm, squeezing it tightly.

She sighed again, her voice sounding distinctly sad. “Do you think the sacrifices we made – both our own sacrifices and the sacrifices of our friends – were worth it, in the end?”

“I think it would be easy to say no, considering that we lost. But we fought for what we believed in. And our companions did as well. Each of them made their own decision to stick with us. It’s not as if you forced them to be there.”

“I know. I just… sometimes think about them and think about how they are gone forever. Nothing can bring back the dead. And yet... I am still here. We had such dedicated friends, you know. I don’t go a day without thinking about each of them, their faces and hopes and dreams... all gone.”

“I know. I think about them a lot too. But we have to make the best out of what we have left, don’t you think? It’s the only logical thing to do in this situation.”

“I suppose you’re right. As usual.” She paused for a moment, and continued, sounding reminiscent as she spoke. “Do you remember the day, back in the capital, when you told me that I was the one that you loved most? I thought you were just being flippant. I was so shocked when you said that, I didn’t know what to say. Were you being serious?”

“I… don’t know. I have always loved you, Edelgard. Loved you as a companion and friend. But now… I…” He stammered over his words, unable to fully piece them together when confronted.

“Well, I love _you._ ” Those words caught him off guard, and stabbed him through the heart like a dagger, filling him with something that he didn’t know how to put into words. But, it really wasn’t that complicated, was it?

“I… love you too.” He leaned into her chest, embracing the warmth of her body.

“Thank you, Hubert.” She chuckled. “Was that really so difficult to confess? You sounded a bit distressed.” Her chuckle turned into a laugh. Her chest lifted as she laughed. “You’ve always been this way. So reserved and secretive with your emotions. Do you know how infuriating it is, sometimes?”

Hubert feigned an offended tone. “Are you making fun of me, Edelgard?”

She kissed the top of his head in response. “I love you and I want you to feel loved. But you absolutely deserve to be made fun of. I just want you to be honest and straightforward with me. You know, like you never have been.”

He looked to the side, his eyes focusing on the wall as the candlelight made it flicker more brightly and less brightly, in no particular pattern. “As part of my duties, it was my job to keep things secret. And I took my job very seriously.”

“I know, darling.” A pet name. He found it immediately endearing. She brushed her fingers down his shoulder with one hand and her fingers through his hair with the other. “You know, it’s all over now. You can share your burdens with me.”

“Thank you, but I am just happy to sit and lay with you close to me. Let’s lay down again. I am getting tired.” She nodded and they curled up in bed together.

\--

The second day had been even better than the first; he had spent some of the day pleasuring her in various ways, mostly but not exclusively between her legs. He loved nothing more than seeing her happy, and he wasn’t sure if he had ever seen her happier, at least since the experiments. She was playful and giggly and so powerful in her passion. And for him, it was a delight to revel in her joy.

As he sat in his chair, watching her, he noticed the way that Edelgard reverently took care of her clothing. She folded it very neatly anytime she took it off, even if she was in a moment of passion. He mused about at how pitiful the clothing he had acquired for her was, and yet she treated it so nicely. She really deserved something more beautiful than what she had; he had always known how much she loved wearing dresses and fixing her hair. But that was another thing that had been taken away from her by the transformation.

Hubert pondered. Obviously he couldn’t ask the town’s seamstress to make her a dress, as the proportions would be too hard to explain, but perhaps he could purchase some cloth and make it himself? Could he ask the seamstress to teach him how to sew? It was traditionally women’s work, but he didn’t have much regard for those arbitrary lines between men and women that some people liked to draw. Could he exchange labor for some sewing lessons? It was worth a try, he supposed.

\--

After coming back to town to attend to his daily work at the farm, he decided to ask Mary Anne the seamstress to teach him how to sew. She said she would, if he would help her look over her accounting books. Hubert supposed that word of his talents had spread around.

“Ow!” The first day of his seamstress training was not going well, as he had sadly predicted. He was bleeding out of at least three fingers, and he was not making much progress. This was tough work.

“You’re obviously bright, so I’m sure you’ll learn quick. This is how everybody’s first day of sewing goes.” Mary Anne chuckled a bit, but it was in good humor.

“I hope you are right.” He sighed. Anything to make Edelgard happy, he supposed.

\--

“So, you’re trying to learn how to make a dress for her, Henry?” Charlene smirked at him, looking at him from under her glasses. “That is so unbelievably, incredibly sweet. You’re a real catch, you know that, Henry?” He felt his cheeks getting hot as she spoke. Must she embarrass him so? “I think it’s a wise decision not to tell Mary Anne anything more than what she needs to know. She’s a bit of a gossip.”

Hubert nodded as a reply. “Duly noted. You don’t mind if I hide the fabric here? And work on it after hours? Also, how do you think I should… acquire her measurements to make the dress a proper size?”

She snorted in response. “I can’t help you with that one, son. I don’t think you’ll be able to keep it a surprise, if that’s what you were thinking. Normally, you might be able to guess by comparing her to other women, but I don’t think that’s an option here.”

“Yes, you’re probably right. Thank you for all of your help. You have been a literal lifesaver for me… and for her as well.” Overwhelmed with gratitude, he took a deep bow.

“And thank you for all of your help in the office. Honestly, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened for the organization of my office and our efficiency at making potions.” Charlene laughed. “You’re a funny man, you know. So ridiculously polite. Never met anyone quite like you before.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“I like you, son. So I’m glad I met you. I’m glad your partner is doing well too. I’m sure she’ll love whatever you make her.”

He hoped so.

\--

After several days of supreme humiliation at the hands of the sewing utensils and several nights staying far too late at Charlene’s house, he was finally prepared to start on his work. But first he needed to ask to measure her. Which, for some reason, he was dreading.

They sat across from each other at the campfire, his first night home early in a while. She had a sad look on her face and she looked at him with concern in her eyes. Had he been neglecting her to pursue his goal of making her happy? Had he pursued it too zealously? He had been too tired to play as much as he had before, he supposed.

He decided to break the ice. “Edelgard. How was your day today?”

“I had a fine day. Just more work around the house. And yourself?” She continued to eye him. They had been friends for far too long for him to keep secrets from her. She knew that something was making him uncomfortable.

He looked down at his feet. “It was fine. Just worked for a while on the farm and then the doctor’s office. And…” He paused for a second. “Edelgard. I have a question for you.”

“Yes, Hubert?”

“So I noticed that you treat your clothing very well, even though it is just some scraps that I was able to find.” He rubbed his hands together, a bit eager, a bit nervous. He looked up at her. “So over the past week and a half I have been trying to teach myself to sew. I wanted to make you a dress, if that would please you. But…”

Her eyes lit up. He had hoped that she would be happy, but he hadn’t been sure. “Oh Hubert… so that is why you’ve been away so late? I can’t believe you. That is so thoughtful of you!”

He spoke a bit shyly in response. “It’s not a big deal. However, I cannot sew it for you unless I am able to measure your proportions. So I brought the measuring tape from the shop and I was going to measure you, with your permission.”

“Of course you can! Oh, I am so happy! I have wanted something to wear for so long, but I did not know how we could possibly acquire it.” She let out a small giggle and put her hands together.

He smiled back. “I hoped you would be happy.”

She grinned at him and thrust her hand at him. “What are you waiting for? Let’s begin.”

\--

It was nice to finally have something to wear again. It made her feel more normal. More human.

“Does it fit well?” Hubert asked hesitantly.

Her eyes were filled with tears. She was so happy. She knew that it didn’t really matter, that she would never be herself again, but it offered her a sense of dignity that she hadn’t felt since her transformation. She was flummoxed with all kinds of feelings: of joy and love and sadness and gratitude. “Are you okay, Edelgard?” She felt his hand touch her back. He didn’t really understand what this meant to her, she didn’t think.

“Yes, it’s perfect!” To be honest, if he was a tailor, she would probably have complained a little bit but as he was nothing of the sort, she was just grateful. “I can’t believe that you learned how to sew just so you could make me a dress.”

“Well, I feel like it is a useful skill to know in general. If I can acquire skills to make myself useful, I feel that it is my duty to do so.” Hubert always had a way of trying to deflect from his own kindness, preferring to put forward dispassionate reasons for his actions. But today, she wasn’t going to have any of it.

She lifted him off of the ground and began to hug him, more tightly than she had hugged him before. She felt his warm touch soft in her torso. “Ahh, I am so happy! I love you so much!”

Hubert spoke, his voice muffled by her tight embrace. “And I love you, Edelgard. And I want you to be happy.”

Her jaw clenched a bit thinking about the next words she was going to say. But she wanted to get them out! “Hubert…?”

His voice was still muffled, but calm. “Yes?”

Before she continued, she sat him down on his chair and knelt down before him, meeting his eyes as she looked back up. She spoke nervously, a little unsure. “I was wondering if… maybe we could have a little ceremony together. Nothing… special or anything, just something between you and I. I know that it’s not formal or anything, but I have always wanted to have a celebration of love with someone special.” She stroked his hair with her long nails.

He looked as happy as she could remember seeing him, and he began to blush. She was probably blushing too, she supposed. “I am honoured that you consider me to be that special someone. I think that’s a splendid idea, Edelgard. Let us begin our plans, then.” And then he took her hand and held it tightly, and she realized that she would never truly be alone in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my lovely husband for editing as always!


	7. To Live For One Another

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > Instead of gently mocking him, she decided to be sincere in return. She grabbed a hold of his hands. “This day will be wonderful for me. You know why? Because you’re in it.” She felt a tear run down her cheek; he lifted one of his hands to wipe it away. He gave her a small peck on the cheek.
>> 
>> She saw his eyes fill with tears too. “Thank you, Edelgard. I just want this day to be special for you.” He blinked them away.  
> 
> 
> In the forest, Edelgard and Hubert exchange vows. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who commented on my fic, left kudos, and/or followed along with all of the chapters. I feel very honored! And thank you for the lovely commissioned art @hobovampire! <3
> 
> https://twitter.com/hobovampire/status/1317840193332891648

She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she sat in her chair in the cabin.

She gazed at Hubert as he gently placed a flower crown on her head. It was made from the wild rose bushes that grew near the small pond in the forest: the place they retrieved their water from and where they washed their clothes. It was simple but beautiful, rather like the life she had now. She smiled as he placed it on her. She felt calm and content, ready for the day that lay ahead of them.

Hubert, on the other hand, looked uneasy. She didn’t understand why he would be nervous; it wasn’t as if there were a huge number of guests for their little ceremony. The only ones present were the two of them and the town doctor, whom he had unexpectedly expressed a desire to invite. She was just glad that he trusted and liked someone in the town enough to invite them to their ceremony.

He was dressed in a white shirt and his nicest trousers; at her request, he had placed a small bunch of flowers in the pocket of his shirt. In the corner, she eyed a freshly sewn dress, ready to be worn as soon as she was ready to go. It was clear that he had improved his technique over the past months. The lengths he had gone to make her feel beautiful filled her with joy.

Last night, he had spent hours brushing her hair and filing her nails. She had chosen to keep her hair long, which was how she had always liked it. He slowly, methodically removed every knot from her hair and filed the nails of her fingers and toes. He washed her skin with some scented soap that he had picked up from a travelling merchant, again, to make her happy. She wished that she could do as many things for him as he did for her. But she had to accept things for the way they were, didn’t she?

She spoke. “Is there something troubling you, my love?” She brushed her hand softly on his face, which had been meticulously shaven for the occasion. He had purchased a better knife, carefully crafted for shaving, rather than the primitive tools he had been using before. It did make him look a lot cleaner.

He looked her in the eyes in response, looking very serious. “I’m not much for sentimentality, you know. I just don’t want to disappoint you on our big day.” Edelgard stared at him in amazement for a moment. After all of the things he had done for her, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She knew he was insecure and shy about his feelings, but this was _ridiculous._

Instead of gently mocking him, she decided to be sincere in return. She grabbed a hold of his hands. “This day will be wonderful for me. You know why? Because you’re in it.” She felt a tear run down her cheek; he lifted one of his hands to wipe it away. He gave her a small peck on the cheek.

She saw his eyes fill with tears too. “Thank you, Edelgard. I just want this day to be special for you.” He blinked them away.

She sighed happily. “You spend so much time fretting over my happiness. But I am doing well. Much better than I’ve been in a long time, you know. It’s nice, just living my life freely and without constraints. I always felt boxed in by my responsibilities and ambitions. I never felt like I had time to think of love and romance. But now, here we are. I know this isn’t exactly what we dreamed of, but we’ve made the best of it, have we not?”

He grinned back at her. “It’s been fun. I have grown to enjoy this pastoral life, although it is not what I would have chosen for myself. It has been interesting to observe the customs of the people of Adrestia. And, I have enjoyed our time together.”

“As have I, Hubert. As have I. I hope to spend many more years together. I suppose I should get dressed and we can get started.”

He gave her a heartfelt, affectionate smile, and began helping her put her dress on.

\--

She moved her chair outside and sat down as Hubert greeted Charlene. While she felt less completely mortified by her form than she once had, she still preferred to interact with people while she was sitting down, in order to not loom over them. Not that she really interacted with anyone besides Hubert (aside from today). She missed seeing other people, but she had grown used to her own company, during these last months.

The grey-haired woman’s hair was put up in a tight bun, very practical but quite beautiful. She was wearing a simple white dress. Edelgard saw her pat Hubert on the back and laugh, and he responded by looking down shyly. Edelgard couldn’t help but smile. She supposed that the doctor had grown to enjoy his eccentric, understated charm. He always underestimated that part of himself, the part of himself that was kind and affectionate and not just efficient and cold.

They walked over to where Edelgard was sitting. She waved one of her hands. “Thank you for coming,” Edelgard spoke as a greeting. “It’s nice to have at least one guest.”

“It’s a pleasure to be here.” The older woman nodded in response. “I see that Henry’s –” She eyed Hubert as she used the name that they all knew was fake. “– dressmaking skills have gotten quite good. At this rate, he’ll have his choice of careers in our sleepy little town.”

“Don’t flatter me.” He licked his lips. “It’s just a functional design, nothing special. So, what would you like to do for the ceremony?”

Charlene spoke up. “In traditional Adrestian wedding ceremonies, the bride and the groom each speak words of devotion to each other, and then they are declared married by a representative of the church.” Edelgard realized that she had been avoiding using the word _wedding_ to describe their ceremony. In her mind, a wedding was a grand event, one that everyone at the court attended, not a small gathering in the middle of a forest. But now that she heard that word, she felt a jolt shoot through her heart and her stomach: a happy one. Charlene continued. “I am not a representative of the church, and somehow I get the feeling that the two of you would not want to summon one. But I can act as your informal witness.”

“We would very much appreciate it, yes.” She turned to Hubert. “Have you never been to a wedding before, Hubert?” She giggled. “What I want is for us to hold hands and we can declare our love for each other!”

“Well, I can do that,” he spoke softly, and then he took her hand.

Charlene put one hand on each of their arms and spoke. “I realize I am not certain what your name is, young lady.” Edelgard was shocked. Surely she had guessed, given that she knew Hubert’s identity. And if she knew that much, Edelgard saw no need for secrets.

“It’s Edelgard.”

The older woman nodded, as unfazed as ever. She patted Edelgard on the arm. “I’m honoured that you trust me enough to confide this information in me.” She looked a bit disgusted as she continued, “The Kingdom has been spreading all kinds of rubbish about how the ‘benevolent rule of the Church of Seiros will save Adrestia from the cruel rulership of our former emperor’. Most of us common folk don’t really buy it, you know. But they are the victors, I suppose, and they are trying to write a history that flatters them.”

“As the victors tend to do,” Hubert agreed, his voice melancholy. “Thank you for keeping our secret, Charlene.”

“I don’t want to talk about those things anymore,” Edelgard spoke softly, but with a voice that would tolerate no arguments. “ Let’s keep this day as happy as we can. Let us begin the ceremony.”

“Alright.” Charlene grinned from ear to ear. “Edelgard. You may speak your words to your beloved.”

“Hubert. For my whole life, you have been my companion and best friend. Even when I was at my lowest, you have always been there for me, unwavering and kind through it all. I know that this change has not been easy for you, but your devotion to me has never wavered. And… I love you dearly, my beloved. Thank you. You have convinced me that my life is still worth living.” She felt her eyes fill with tears, and she couldn’t stop the river running down her face.

Charlene grabbed a tissue from her pocket, obviously having been prepared for such a thing. Hubert took the tissue from her and began to dry Edelgard’s eyes. The doctor smiled at them. “You are both so cute. I’m glad to be here today.” She waited for Edelgard to compose herself. “And yourself, Hubert?”

Hubert spoke with a measured voice, but one full of passion. She felt his hand grip hers firmly. “It has been a pleasure to be your companion over the last twenty years. It was a pleasure to serve you and to be by your side and to try to help you see your dreams to fruition. And it is an honor to be here with you today as your partner.”

Charlene smiled at both of them. “Alright then. You may seal your words with a kiss.” And they locked lips. It felt warm and soft and she was trying not to cry again. He was definitely crying, as she felt the warm tears fall on her face. As they stopped kissing, they gazed at each other, and she lost herself in his light green eyes, shining as proudly as they ever had.

They both turned to Charlene. Hubert spoke first. “Thank you for being here, Charlene. You don’t know what it means to me.”

“I think I can guess, my dear. Anyway, usually this is when people have their first dance at a wedding, but I’ll let you decide if you want to dance in front of an audience of one.” She grinned. “I can stay as long as you’d like. But I don’t want to intrude.”

“Stay for a while,” said Edelgard. “We can have a chat. I’d love a chance to get to know you better!”

And so the three of them passed a beautiful afternoon together, chatting and eating the meal that Edelgard had thought to prepare. And after Charlene left to get home before the sun set, the two of them sat together and watched the sunset, smiling.

\--

As the sun rose on their first full day of marriage, they were bathing in the pond together, exhausted but happy. He meticulously washed every part of her body, and once he was finished, they drowsily wandered back to the cabin. As they arrived back, Hubert was so tired that he curled up in her arms like a cat, and felt himself rapidly falling asleep in her arms, as he had done many times before. But this time, he was her husband. And she was his wife. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my husband for editing as always!

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've written in years, so I would love any feedback. :) I am not sure how long it will be, maybe 5-6 chapters!


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